Personnel

265th Elysian Storm Trooper Regiment

"From the skies!" Regimental Motto

Storm Troopers are highly-trained shock troops forming the elite force that is a Storm Trooper regiment. They are trained to carry out special operations such as deep strike assaults, reconnaissance, and infiltration beyond enemy lines. Storm Troopers are the very best soldiers the Imperial Guard has to offer, being trained to the peak of human perfection, their combat skills are unmatched within the ranks of the Imperial Guard.

Storm Troopers form a single regiment, which is unique in that it is a permanent unit, receiving a constant influx of new recruits to keep it up to full strength. By virtue of its members having been recruited from the progena of the Schola Progenium, the regiment made up of soldiers from worlds throughout the Imperium. With up to ten thousand men under arms at any one time, the regiment is also larger than most other regiments. However this huge force does not fight at a single place; individual companies or battalions are instead sent to war zones, and from there, individual Storm Trooper squads are spread among the other regiments as required.

The Storm Trooper unit assigned to a warzone provides a core of elite squads, which are entrusted to carry out important missions requiring more training and initiative than possessed by the average Guardsman. Storm Trooper squads are effective at spearheading assaults into heavily fortified positions, infiltrating behind enemy lines and sowing confusion and panic. They are often dropped into the thick of combat from Valkyrie Assault Carriers, guns blazing before they even touch the ground.

Storm Trooper recruits are chosen from the progena of the Schola Progenium, where they have been raised and educated, and molded into loyal and dedicated servants of the Emperor. They are then taught superior battle tactics and the use of more advanced equipment than the average Guardsmen.

The regiments to which the Storm Troop squads are attached often regard the inimitably dedicated and better equipped Storm Troopers with a certain amount of animosity, referring to them by such names as 'Glory Boys' and 'Big Toy Soldiers'. Regardless of the opinion of the average Guardsman, none who witness Storm Troopers in action can deny they are worthy of such titles.

Elysia

The Elysian Drop Troops of the Imperial Guard are known for the rapid deployment capabilities using Airborne Troop Carriers called Valkyries, and deploy by rappelling or grav-chutes from high altitudes. Elysian Drop Troopers are able to deep strike into enemy territory, and so are unable to field any heavy ground vehicles during missions. While this may be the case, the Elysians do make use of a number of light vehicles including the Tauros rapid assault vehicle, the modified Drop Sentinel, Cyclops Demolition Vehicle, and Sentry Gun batteries. The Elysians make use of Valkyries, Vulture Gunships, and the support of the Imperial Navy to make up for their lack of heavy armour.

The Elysians come from a verdant world some thirty light years from Armageddon, towards the galactic hub. The Elysia system and surrounding wilderness space is notorious for its pirates, as a main trade route through the sector passes through Elysia, and the system's many swirling gas clouds and hundreds of asteroid fields provide perfect ambush sites. Through combating this ever-present threat, the Elysians are therefore well trained in ship-to-ship boarding actions, and fighting in concert with orbital support when attacking isolated pirate bases.

The Elysian drop regiments are completely volunteer and require at least one full tour of duty in the standard Elysian PDF. Upon signing up troopers are sent to training bases throughout Elysia to be intensely trained in the art of deploying by grav-chute and homing their combat skills and survival skills. Elysians become expert marksmen through their training, this allows them to set their lasguns to low or autoguns to single shot and achieve the same, if not better, effectiveness of a standard guardsman with an autogun on full auto, making every shot count is a must for the drop troops of Elysia as they might go for days or weeks without fresh supplies!

Many units are formed as infantry regiments, with tens of thousands of men. But there are other more specialised regiments, such as those recruited from the world of Elysia. These are the famous Drop Troops, highly mobile airborne forces, equipped with sophisticated aircraft, weaponry and grav-chutes for long range strikes deep into enemy lines.

The Elysian Drop Troops are amongst the best rapid response troops that the Imperial Guard has to offer. Not only do they have some of the best and most well cared for equipment and a high proportion of Storm Troopers within their ranks, but they have perfected the tactic of attacking by grav chute and the Valkyrie Airborne Assault Carrier. It is common for the elite soldiers of Elysia to appear from the skies en masse above their objective, raining onto the battlefield and sowing devastation and confusion throughout the enemy lines before they have even landed. However, the Elysian Drop Troops' combat doctrine does not afford them such luxuries as the Leman Russ Battle Tanks or even the ubiquitous Chimera troop transports. Nothing bulkier than the lightweight Sentinel can be deployed by grav-chute. As a result, Elysian Drop Troops specialize in ambushes and attaining and holding objectives, and cannot hold their ground in a protracted fire fight for long. In large-scale conflicts, this dictates a hit-and-run style of warfare whereby the Elysians achieve their goal and then quickly disappear. In smaller engagements the Elysians are experienced and well-equipped enough to operate for long periods of time without fresh supplies.