Death Korps of Krieg, 2nd Squadron, 7th Lancers.

 

RECOVERED PERSONAL LEDGER
OWNER: Death Rider Officer, 5th Squadron, Krieg
STATUS: Deceased (Confirmed)
RECOVERY: Post-Action Sweep, +2 Days
CONDITION: Blood-stained, water-damaged. Entries legible.

I keep this record as required, but also so the order of things is not lost.

We were moving before first light. Siege-time 04:14, by my chronometer.
The guns had not yet lifted and the air was already thick with dust and ash. My mount, DR442, favoured its left foreleg after the night’s shelling, but it did not fail me. I judged it fit to advance.

Lord Marshal Dreir passed us without a word and took the front. He did not look back. He did not need to. The Sabre of Sacrifice was drawn, clean in the half-light. Seeing it was enough. We closed ranks and followed.

Enemy fire began as we cleared the line. Poorly aimed. Too fast. They were afraid. Rounds struck stone and iron more often than flesh. One rider to my left was hit hard and thrown clear. I marked the loss and rode on. There was no space for hesitation.

At 04:18 the firing thickened. Tracer crossed the street like wire. Two sections were slowed by rubble and shell craters. They did not rejoin us. The formation held regardless.

The charge met them at 04:22.

The sound of it was as expected—hooves on broken stone, shouting cut short, the dull impact of bodies. They broke almost immediately. Some tried to run. Others froze. Neither choice mattered.

I struck twice before I remember clearly. After that it was movement and weight and heat. Sabres rose and fell. Mounts crushed men against walls and wreckage. The enemy felt brittle, as if already dead.

I saw the Lord Marshal ahead of us, riding straight through the centre. He gave no commands. The Sabre of Sacrifice burned in the smoke and cut without pause. Men came apart beneath it. The blade never faltered.

By 04:30 the avenue was ours. Fires burned unchecked. Smoke hid the sky. The street was so choked with bodies that we were forced to pick our way through at a walk. Infantry came up behind us and took shelter where they could, using the fallen as cover. This was sensible.

At the far end of the avenue, the Lord Marshal halted and turned back toward us.
He sat there, unmoving, for perhaps a minute.
I do not know why I remember this.

Orders came shortly after. We were to pull back and entrench. Those of us still mounted regrouped. I dismounted when told and checked DR442. The leg had worsened. It still stood.

Shovels were issued at 04:44.

The ground was hard and broken. In places there was nothing to dig into. We used what was available. Enemy and Krieg alike. There was no difference once the work began.

I took my turn and dug until my arms shook. I did not remove my helmet. The bombardment had begun again and the earth was jumping under us.

If this ledger is found, then the position has likely fallen once more. That is acceptable. We advanced when ordered and held when told. The line will be taken again.

I close this entry here.

---

ARCHIVAL NOTE:
The ledger was recovered from the officer’s coat during corpse-clearance operations. The rider was found within a partially collapsed firing position. Mount DR442 was located nearby, killed by shrapnel.
Cause of death: sustained artillery bombardment.
The position was abandoned forty-eight hours later.

NO FURTHER ACTION REQUIRED

*****

Back on the Death Korps wagon, and the first five of ten plastic Death Riders are completed and based for the urban warfare army.

These models nearly got thrown through the wall when assembling because of the reins which have to be attached to the horses mouth and then threaded through narrow gaps to the riders hand, provided you've gotten the correct part numbers off of the sprues.

In keeping with my organisational theme for the army*, the Death Riders get blue as their spot colour, on their shoulder plates and the little banners from the lances.

Here is the first half of the squadron:

The Squadrons Sergeant, armed with a Power Sword, I followed the painting of the mount when I completed Lord Marshal Drier at the beginning of the year, with the washes which were wet blended upon the mount:

Two of the Lancers:

The remaining Lancer, and the Squadron Standard Bearer:

With the second set of five Death Riders to make, I am considering converting a couple of specialists, maybe a vox man, and a medic/vet for the squadrons members (both human and mount?)

Recently as well, these men hit the field, the Death Korps 512th taking on the Marovian 42nd of my friend Dave. His fantastically painted Cadian army, which still does the business, even after 14 or 15 years since he painted the army, it's featured a few more times on the blog in the last.

But the Death Riders ended up charging his overly aggressive Ogryns, managing to take down one on the charge, then getting mulched by the abhumans, leaving the Lord Commissar there to face the wrath:

They look good on the table, which is the important thing though.

I am working on the first half of Red Platoon next, once they're done I'm thinking of taking a break from infantry to deal with one of a squadron of three Leman Russ Battle Tanks.

Until next time, have nice day...

*Each organisational element gets their own company colour for markings:

Command: Silver.

Infantry: Red, Orange and Yellow.

Engineers and Heavy Weapons: Black.

Cavalry: Blue.

Armour: White.

So everything is organised as an actual army and organisation chart.