Iron Without: The Unique Combat Strategy of the Fourth Part IV
WARHAMMER 40KIRON WARRIORSHORUS HERESY
Oroslan
3/20/20245 min read
Birth of the Iron Warriors
The tyrant Dammekos, who raised Perturabo on Olympia, a harsh mountain world of constant civil war, had many shortcomings. But stupidity was not among these shortcomings. Dammekos immediately realized that Olympia needed to join the Imperium if it wanted to continue to live by its own laws. And to do this it was necessary to let go of Perturabo, to whom he, no doubt, had a strong attachment.
By this time, Perturabo had already realized that he was an artificially created trans-person and came to Olympia by accident. He knew that his creator would soon come for him, so he was ready to leave his home world without hesitation. These factors allowed Perturabo to quickly take his place in the ranks of the Great Crusade. It took him almost no time to integrate into the legion. The sons accepted their father unconditionally. The warriors were impressed by his cold, incredible intellect. But this intellect belonged to an introvert who was not going to explain the motives of his actions to anyone and did not strive to get closer to his brothers.
Perturabo's ferocity was bowed by only one factor - his impeccable mathematical mind. Each campaign was an abstract task for the primarch, to be analyzed and solved. Nothing else. The brothers were wary of the withdrawn and passive-aggressive Perturabo, but the Emperor did not care. He found another lost weapon. This weapon functioned perfectly, and nothing else was required.
Perturabo fought alongside the Emperor for only a few years before being allowed to wage his own campaigns. At that time, there were 35 thousand warriors under the command of the primarch, and approximately eighteen thousand more were scattered throughout the galaxy, mostly serving in garrisons on distant frontiers. Having assumed absolute command of the legion, Perturabo personally reviewed the service records of each of his sons. He saw everything: their tenacity, martial art, pragmatism. But he also saw senseless stubbornness, a desire to express himself, which led to inflated losses.
Perturabo compared these results with his own assessment of other legions. We do not know exactly what conclusions the primarch made, but we can guess them from the decision he made. Decimation. Perturabo's first order as Primarch was that he execute every tenth warrior in the legion. The Primarch's order read: "War is categorical, indifferent, merciless and blind. The selection of those who will pay with blood for your failure will be just as blind."
The warriors were chosen by lot; the brothers in the squad had to kill him with their bare hands. Those departments that dared to disobey would face complete extermination. But there were no such people. Not because the Iron Warriors were so devoted to their father. And certainly not because they were afraid of him. The point is that it was an order. Order from high command. And orders must be followed, otherwise the army turns into a rabble that deserves death, but not victory. In addition, the legionnaires understood that they were really to blame. Not in your motives and goals. And in the methods by which they tried to achieve these goals.
It is known that several Primarchs personally contacted the Emperor regarding Perturabo's actions. Some said that his father had entrusted the Legion to a madman, others believed that the Fourth Primarch took command too early, without having had time to assimilate the military doctrine of the Imperium and its values. Of course, the voice that sounded loudest was... no, not Dorn's. Roboute Guilliman. The fact is that the Ultramarines fought alongside the Iron Warriors more often than other legions. Guilliman witnessed first-hand the valor, dedication and martial prowess of these magnificent warriors. He was disgusted by the thought that every tenth of them would die so stupidly and ingloriously. But the Emperor had already made his decision. He gave the legion to Perturabo and had no intention of interfering in his internal politics.
The Hammer of Olympia wanted to see his legion as an ideal fighting machine, so after the bloody massacre the time had come for a total reorganization. The first campaign that the Fourth led under the leadership of his genetic father took place in the Majoris system, Meratar cluster. This region was originally owned by the Black Judges, they defeated several imperial fleets and considered themselves the rightful rulers of the region. But then Perturabo came to them and the Black Judges ceased to exist. The Iron Warriors then headed to Verkhonia and exterminated the ectosaurid race. The final campaign that gave the Imperium the Merathar cluster was the conquest of Lyxos. Renegade knights was destroyed in a matter of weeks.
Those who survived the decimation learned their lesson once and for all. They realized that their primarch was cruel and merciless. He knows no mercy, he cannot have favorites. He will give everyone what they deserve. For him, the war globally looked like a binary equation, where defeat was equal to death. And the punishment for defeat could only be death. According to rumors, the Hammer of Olympia later condescended to explain to his sons what they were guilty of. He said they had fulfilled their duty to the Imperium. But they did not fulfill their duty to themselves. It's not worthy to be among the best. You deserve to be the best. Only the best.
