Iron Hands' Trials: The Greatest Defeats in a Chapter's Tenacious History - A Comprehensive Overview
Table of Contents
Introduction
1.1 The Indomitable Iron Hands
1.2 Triumphs and Trials
The Dropsite Massacre: A Crushing Betrayal
The Battle of Xalladin
Sabbyst Planetstrike
Gaudanian Heresy
The Iron Hands and their defeats
1. Introduction
1.1 The Indomitable Iron Hands
In the grim and unrelenting universe of Warhammer 40,000, the Iron Hands Space Marine Chapter is renowned for its unyielding determination, cybernetic augmentation, and relentless pursuit of perfection. Their history is marked not only by glorious victories but also by harrowing defeats that have tested their unwavering resolve.
The main doctrine of the Iron Hands is “The Flesh is weak” paired with “Mercy is weakness”. The chapter’s homeworld is Medusa, a cold icy world that also has volcanoes erupting. The highest goal of an Iron Hand member is to be entombed in a dreadnought to fight forever more for the 10th legion.
The Iron Hands are not completely compliant with the Codex Astartes issued through Roboute Guilliman. While the company structure demands chapter masters and a top-down approach in command the Iron Hands chose to organise in clans with the Iron Council at the head of their organizational structure. While Kardan Stronos currently holds the highest rank and is well respected he is still a peer amongst equals when it comes to decision-making in the Iron Council. Most of the members of the Iron Council are either Iron Fathers or old Dreadnoughts depending on their years of service and what happened to them during deployment.
During their evolution, they have lost their Primarch and become isolationist and bitter. While focusing on the logic of the machine and being closer to the Omnissiah than the emperor they have lost the focus on what makes them human. While they are still a force to be reckoned with for engagements where the odds look unfavorable or where moral questions should not arise they are ultimately one of the shattered legions which exist beside the main ones. After the attacks in the 10th Crusade and the horror of the Istvan 5 massacre, they are still not back to their original strength at the beginning of the Horus Heresy.
1.2 Triumphs and Trials
This comprehensive overview delves into the greatest defeats suffered by the Iron Hands, from the infamous Dropsite Massacre during the Horus Heresy to more recent conflicts. These defeats reveal the chapter's vulnerabilities, the price of their devotion to the Emperor, and the enduring legacy of these trials.
2. The Dropsite Massacre: A Crushing Betrayal
2.1 The Horus Heresy: Seeds of Treachery
The Horus Heresy, a cataclysmic event in Imperial history, saw Brother Space Marine legions betray the Emperor. The Dropsite Massacre was a pivotal moment in this conflict and a source of immense pain for the Iron Hands.
The Horus Heresy was mainly driven by Horus, the most favored of the sons of the Emperor of Mankind. During the Horus Heresy, the Warmaster first operated undercover trying to turn as many of the other Primarchs against the leader of Humanity. He succeded with
While you can debate when, how, and in which order each fell to Chaos this was the outcome. When Horus and Lorgar started their conniving it set the grounds for the galaxy-wide civil war to come. The Siege of Terra was the climax of the Horus Heresy during which the emperor was entombed on the golden throne and Horus died.
The battle of Istvan 5 is significant as this was the first time leading up to the siege of Terra where the traitors showed their hand on a large scale. Horus’ aim during the Istvan campaign was to rid his traitor legions of the remaining forces within his ranks to then move on Terra with a consolidated force. The first stage was to lure loyal space marine chapters to group en masse on Istvan 3, a planet within the same system as Istvan 5. After the loyalist remains of the traitor legions had amassed on Istvan 3 Horus gave the order to virus bomb the planet killing everything on it. The traitor legions then assembled on Istvan 5.
While Rogal Dorn was appointed as the supreme commander of the remaining forces of the
were tasked to attack the
Traitors on Istvan 5 were believed to be busy with building fortifications as the new seat of power for Horus to build a rivaling empire to one of the emperors of man. At this stage, it was not known that 4 of the eight legions in question already had sworn their allegiance to Horus. The imperial fists could not reach their goal due to warp turbulences leaving the remaining 3 loyalist legions to their fate.
While the Iron Hands, Salamanders, and Raven Guard managed to establish a bridgehead under great losses in the Urgall depression on Istvan 5 they were betrayed by the ones who arrived in the second wave. While fighting the World Eaters, Emperor’s children, Death Guard, and Sons of Horus the Alpha Legion, Word Bearers, Night Lords, and Iron Warriors arrived on the surface to stab them in the back.
While Horus watched from the fortifications built under the supervision of Fulgrim the supposed reinforcements for the Loyalists arrived. The original battle line retreated preparing the trap to snap. Ferrus Manus took the bait and charged after them head-first while Corax and Vulkan were hesitant and wanted to observe how things played out when the reinforcements arrived. This force combined was even larger than the first onslaught.
Vulkan and Corax decided to retreat to the drop site. Once they arrived at the drop site a flare came from the main traitor position and the reinforcements opened fire on their brothers. The Iron Hands were hopelessly lost deep within enemy battle lines and with no backup to come. On this end of the battlefield, Lorgar observed the unfolding events together with Kor Phaeron and Erebus.
While the treachery unfolded at the rear end of the battle Ferrus had made it into battle with Fulgrim. Lorgar watched from the hilltop while two of his brothers now fought a duel to death among the carnage surrounding them. Ironically they were two of the closest Primarchs before the Heresy. The traitor alliance reigned fire from the sky and bullets from each side onto the loyalist forces in the middle of the foray. Corax and Vulkan had to reassess their situation. Corax advocated for immediate withdrawal as the battle was lost while Vulkan wanted to dig in at his drop ship to give the wounded survivors a chance to retreat.
What was to follow was the low point of this campaign which opened the road to the siege of Terra. Corax and Vulkan got hit by enemy artillery fire. While Corax managed to evade, Vulkan was missing. Ferrus had made it to Fulgrim, convinced that he would overrun the enemy forces and take the fortress to pass judgment on Horus and his traitors. Fulgrim pointed him to the drop site to witness the betrayal of the reinforcements who opened fire on the retreating Salamanders and Raven Guard. Ferrus realized that all that was left was to kill Fulgrim in battle and stormed on with rage.
Both brothers exchanged blows but Fulgrim got the higher ground and upper hand in the duel. Ironically they both fought with weapons that they had forged in brotherly love not too long ago. While conflicted about killing Ferrus when he was down on his knees the demon that had possessed Fulgrim won the upper hand and he landed the killing blow, decapitating Ferrus.
On the other end of the battlefield, Lorgar and Corax traded blows. Corax was the more experienced warrior and was filled with rage. He managed to cut Lorgar's stomach wide open with his lightning claws and just before he was about to deal the finishing blow Konrad Curze came to save him.
After this, Mortarion and Angron joined the fight to clean up the remaining forces of the Loyalists. In the final convulsions of the massacre, Horus also joined to bathe in his victory. A few Salamanders, Raven Guard, and Iron Hands escaped, the Salamanders helping the Iron Hands to exit the system. Vulkan reappeared and survived a tactical nuke just to be taken prisoner by Konrad Curze.
At the end of the day, Horus controlled 9 Astartes legions and had decimated three of the remaining nine legions of the emperor. The road to Terra was wide open.
3. Battle of Xalladin
After the Horus Heresy and the formation of the Great Rift the Iron Hands waged a battle on Xalladin to obtain the Brimstone heart.
When it became known that the famous Brimstone heart relic was situated in the Xalladin sector the Iron Council sent Clan Raukaan and Master of the Forge Feirros to obtain it. When they arrived they found the stranded Imperial Fists 3rd company under the command of Tor Garadon battling the Orks for control of the system.
The Iron Hands and Imperial Fists disagreed on how to proceed in this battle. While the imperial fists did not want to remove the relic as it was critical to the planetary defenses the Iron Hands only cared about the retrieval without taking the losses of the planets or even their fellow brothers into account as that was the mission they were tasked with.
During covert actions of the Raven Guard in the sector under the command of Chapter master Kayvaan Shrike the overtaxed relic allegedly detonated. After the bone of contempt was removed from the equation priorities shifted and the Imperial fists, Raven Guard, and Iron Hand forces joined to take out the new priority target, the Orks.
While the battle against the Xenos was triumphant the Iron Hands did not obtain the relic and sewed further distrust between their brothers and themselves in this campaign. The relationships with the Imperial fists still remain strained and suspicion is thrown on the Raven Guard about whether the relic was really destroyed or just overtly removed from the system.
4. Sabbyst Planetstrike
After the formation of the Great Rift Clan Raukaan thought revenge for Ferrus Manus when they obtained knowledge that Fulgrim was in the imperial world of Sabbyst. While Iron Captain Grolvoch first engaged to kill Fulgrim it was a hopeless endeavor to start with. Uncharacteristically for the Iron Hands against the logic of self-preservation, the captain sacrificed himself and his troops to buy time for the refugees. After this Grolvoch was killed Klaarc Kalag took over command of Clan Raukaan.
5. Gaudinian Heresy
The ancient iron father Kristos got knowledge that the Emperor’s Children and the Sapphire King were active in the Gaudinia system. Under the command of Kristos and with support from the Iron Council it was made a priority to defeat the threat and a combined force of Clan Raukaan and Clan Sorrgol was sent to clean out the system.
After making planetfall on Gaudinia the world appeared empty even though it showed life signs. While Kardan Stronos advised caution Iron Father Kristos pressed on to find a metal dome about ten miles in circumference and two thousand feet high. When it was opened it showed that all the machinery and life forms of the planet had been crammed into this dome to form one perverted fusion of steel and flesh to produce war machines for the Chaos forces.
Driving ever deeper into the compound Iron Father Kristos fell to Chaos and became blinded by the perceived perfection of this mega structure of flesh and steel. He and his forces started to fight their brothers while the Saphhire King also showed his hands to join the battlefield. Kardan Stronos protected the retreat out of the metal dome to join the fire support stationed outside.
Outside the structure a battle ensued and it seemed that the never-ending hordes of chaos were to overwhelm the Iron Hands. Epistolary Lydriik mustered a charge and managed to kill the Sapphire King with his mindforge stave by beheading him. When the head of the hydra was cut the rest of the forces dispersed to claim a victory for the Iron Hands.
While the overall battle was a success the Iron Hands had yet again been led into an ambush. A third of the Iron Council was killed in the campaign and it was one of the engagements that led to the rise of Kardan Stronos to become the new leading personality of the Iron Hands.
6. The Iron Hands and their defeats
I have played Iron Hands for two years now at various events in Ireland and our weekly club. From a lore perspective, they have been relegated to the backseat since Ferrus Manus died and they became part of the shattered legions. They were great before the Horus Heresy when battling the Orks in the early great crusades but since then the Space Wolves, Ultramarines, Imperial Fists, Black Templars, and Blood Angels have gotten more love with specialist characters and models from Games Workshop.
What their defeats have in common is that the hubris of logic being superior to anything else leaves you open to a bush when information is incomplete and instincts have to come into play about perceived dangers. Another element is that at crucial moments the Iron Hands have broken their own rules driven by the gaping wound that the death of their Primarch ahs left on their mental state.
