Tree branches exploded all around as gunfire erupted from the shadows ahead.
Corporal Cays ducked and fell onto his front, bark and leaves showering him as he fell, the vox unit on his back sparked as it was hit by a fist sized bullet and came apart.
"Some shit we're in now Corp?" One of the troopers shouted over the din.
"Where's Sergeant Kunz?" He asked back, risking a glance above the fallen tree he was using for cover.
Before them the clearing had been silent, the Orks obviously had been waiting in ambush and opened fire just when the platoon had entered lethal range.
Strangely disciplined behaviour for the warlike aliens.
Already he could hear the calls for medics up and down the line. Third squad had been fortunate to be at the tail end of the column moving forwards and thus far hadn't sustained any casualties that Cays knew of.
"Corporal Cays, get me in touch with the Colonel".
Sergeant Kunz' voice boomed through the firefight. He appeared around a tree just behind Cays position, blood streaming down his left arm from a wound in his bicep.
"Can't sarge, vox-pack is fragged" Cays motioned to the still sparking unit on his back.
"Get rid of that crap Corporal, you're a lasman again now" Kunz easily ordered, standing upright behind a tree nearby, "We're going to try to break to the left and see if we can flank these bastards"
"Aye sarge, fireteam up to the left, grenades to clear a path and then into the bastards. Knives and bayonets at the ready" Cays called out, hearing a chorus of affirmatives from their unit.
A change in the firefight drew their attention.
Orks had started howling and there was a constant blast of rounds being fire in quick succession. A blast of flames ignited something explosive blowing out a new hole in the trees opposite.
Flames lit up the source of their fortune.
"Screaming Devil's, Screaming Devil's" a trooper shouted and pointed.
Both Kunz and Cays turned to look over their respective cover and witnessed the fighting efficiency of Veteran Catachan Troopers at work.
Each of the veterans were lit by the hellfire they had unleashed, their fatigues were dulled by mud and sweat, but the red berets they wore marked them out as the elite of the Catachan regiments here on Attica.
Shotguns were racked and fired with accuracy and speed blowing chunks out of Greenskins who were still reeling at the sudden turn.
Grenades fell amidst the mobs and shredded individuals, wounding the rest. A heavily muscled, soot covered veteran easily swung his heavy flamer around as if it was a child toy, the huge tank of fuel on his back not affecting him in the slightest.
In a split second the ambushers had been ambushed and it was turning into a massacre.
"Go with the plan, get your arses moving Catachans" Kunz roared as he primed a grenade and set off sprinting.
"Up, up, follow the Sarge, do you want to live forever?" Cays shouted encouragement at his soldiers as they set off into the firestorm.
*****
You've got to love the Imperial Guard really.
They're not Super-Human Meta-Soldiers or Hulking Aliens or Psykers without peer.
Instead they are the everyday human who fights for the Imperium against every threat imaginable. They're given a basic flak vest and a Lasrifle and told to "dig in" against aliens, traitors and daemons.
I've built a couple of Imperial Guard armies over the years of the hobby I've done. This time I am building two different forces at the same time, with some generic sections which can be passed between the two as needed.
The first one I've started working on are the Jungle Fighters, The Catachans.
From the slightly high gravity deathworld of Catachan, these soldiers are some of the toughest which the Imperial guard can produce.
Whilst I'm not a fan of the overly muscled 80's action hero asthetic, I have always had a soft spot for these guys with their more gung-ho attitude towards life in the 41st millennium.
Most people seem to base their Catachan army on the US forces during the Vietnam war, often with a colonel with lemon squeezer hat and transporting everybody in Valkyries. I'm surprised they don't start playing music.
Rather then 'nam, just like with my armour, I am working towards a WW2 US Marine infantry company. Just with the GW Catachan paint scheme as I'd already began painting the miniatures before I settled on an organisation for them (I may add some combat engineers later on, I may attempt the USMC Pacific camo on these models).
So the infantry company will have a HQ section, Three Infantry platoons of Three Squads, A Mortar squad and a Fire support Squad.
I've also painted up a squad of Veteran Guardsmen or "Catachan Devil's" as they are sometimes known, and am considering expanding this one squad into a full platoon themselves.
Each veteran is converted with a Better wearing head from the Tempestus Scions kit, as are all the Sergeants and Command Officers throughout this force.
The Veteran squad, the metal Heavy Flamer to the right of the Sergeant is one of my all-time favourite GW models.
These models were converted with Beret Heads as mentions, Grenade Launchers culled from spare Cadian parts and Shotguns from space Marine Scouts.
Because who doesn't love a squad of Commando's firing scatterguns at will!
I picked red for the berets as they will match the red bandana theme of the regular Catachans, tying the force together through it's different units.
I am considering swapping out two troopers for a Missile Launcher team to give the force some bite, but we'll see.
The newly painted Catachan Veteran and line squads along with the Last Chancers penal unit, the Sanctioned Psykers with their Commissar and the Leman Russ Vanquisher.
This will expand as things get finished as I have half a.mind to take this force to apocalypse level allied to my growing Deathwatch forces to face my Ork Horde!
Lastly hobby bingo update and even though I haven't finished clearing the first grid (I have two boxes left) I started my second to draw points from these painted projects.
Two units of ten models each gives me twenty points, giving me a new total of 690 points.
Until next time...
These look mint! Hitting me right in the nostalgia too! Do you remember that AirCav Catachan army in White Dwarf at some point? I think they even had some guys on grav-surfboards (from the 2000ad minis - there are "skysurfers" in the Dredd Universe!) :) Found my Catachan codex recently, as well as the WD with the guide to converting Deathworld carnivorous plants! Those were the days! Looking forward to more of these :) I have a Heavy Flamer trooper to add to my GSC Orlocks somewhere too!
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