Operation Judgement - Vigilus Wastelands

Points: 2000.

Mission: Secure Missing Artefacts.

Secondary Objectives: Well Prisoners, Raise The Banners High and Warp Ritual.

Opponent's Secondary Objectives: Assassination, Pile The Skulls and The Blood God's Due.

Operation Judgement was an Imperial effort to halt the World Eater advance upon the Vigilus hive sprawls. Initially both sides were hampered by vast sand storms which raged across the wastelands, forcing even the servants of the Blood God to hunker down. As soon as the storms died down the Astra Militarum initiated a vast ten hour artillery bombardment upon the advancing enemy marines. The main concentration of fire was on the right flank. Daemon engines returned fire but the World Eaters had suffered severe casualties.  

The bombardment let up as the morning passed into afternoon. This was a ruse to tempt the berzerkers forward into an open kill zone in front of the Imperial lines. Imperial navy aircraft overflew the battlefield and reported the locations of the enemy lines. Guardsmen advanced ahead to cut down the World Eaters with flamers and heavy weapons. Although initially successful the berzerkers soon began to overrun them and continued their advance.

After two days of fighting, the Imperial defenders had moved forward and they captured several vital locations. Two companies of berzerkers which held those locations were defeated thanks to assaults by the Rift Wardens. By this time, the World Eaters had entered into a frenzy and any military cohesion faded. Even so, the enemy forces repulsed several space marine attacks but each effort was defeated by the Imperial forces.

Fighting continued until the Rift Wardens outflanked the World Eaters although they suffered many casualties. Although their attack was blunted, the World Eaters managed to hold onto their gains. Rift Wardens attacks continued for two days and the World Eaters were eventually pushed back into the wastelands. Arthurus arrived from orbit at this time and led his battle brothers forward. He had received orders from Marneus Calgar to ensure that the enemy didn't reach the hive cities to bolster those forces already within the city walls.

After five days the Astra Militarum regiments were ordered to advance from their defences and marched forward as a vast line of bodies. Due to the rough terrain some regiments advanced ahead without support on their flank. The guardsmen rushed the World Eater positions with support of various space marine chapters. The Imperium killed hundreds of the enemy and even outflanked a few of their defences. It was at this point that Kharn the Betrayer entered the fray with a large force of Eight-Bound. Some guardsmen took cover in a ravine only to find their location under friendly artillery fire. Some guardsmen were forced forward into the enemy lines to avoid being accidently killed by their own tanks.

The Rift Wardens marines tried to contact the Militarum artillery commanders to alert them but communications were disrupted. Enemy fire soon stopped as Kharn bellowed a charge and led his forces forward once more. The Imperial forces were brutally slaughtered and forced to fall back, leaving the space marines to blunt the charge. 

After five days of heavy fighting, Operation Judgement had been partially successful but at the great cost of hundreds of thousands of guardsmen lives. A pyrrhic victory at best.