Battle of the Vangalt Defence Line - Vigilus Wastelands

Points: 2000.

Deployment and Mission: Dawn of War / Chilling Rain.

Primary Objective: Take & Hold.

Detachment: Anvil Siege Force.

Opponents Detachment: Pactbound Zealots.

The Battle of the Vangalt Defence Line began with an apocalyptic bombardment during which vast numbers of traitor tanks, supported by the firepower of two Carnage class cruisers, while traitor Knights fired a creeping barrage to cover the legionnaire assaults. The Black Legion marines attacked simultaneously along the front line, defended by the Rift Wardens and the Astra Militarum. During this battle, the enemy breached the front and second line trenches to eventually capture the defenders headquarters. On the right, those trenchworks were attacked and eventually captured by three companies of legionnaires. These three companies subsequently advanced, despite the defenders being reinforced by further Rift Warden squads, and captured supply points. This created a gap in the front lines for Black Legion bikers to ride through. They rode north and eastwards to the rear to capture the defending Imperial lines of communication.

The second phase of the battle began as soon as the gap was made during the infantry attacks. The bikers led the way north up of the Vangalt plains followed by hordes of legionnaires in reserve. These divisions subsequently rode across the Vangalt hills to occupy the wastelands beyond. The Black Legion slaughtered hundreds of thousands of guardsmen during this stage of the war.

The Rift Wardens command firebase was initially unsuccessfully attacked by one force of Black Legion marines. During this battle however, the Rift Wardens commander, chief librarian Uthar, was forced to escape, teleporting back to an orbiting battle barge. The firebase was captured days later, and soon the enemy had seized control over large swathes of territory. On the last day of the battle, the Rift Wardens attacked the Black Legion rearguard, killing large numbers of the traitor marines before fading back into the wastelands.