COLONEL TAMUS SIRHAN

Leman Russ Battle Tank - Anvilus Imperator - 3rd Company of the 124th Cadian Armoured Regiment
Weight:	61 tonnes
Hull length:	7.08m
Hull width:	4.86m
Height:	4.42m
Barrel length:	3.07m
Ground clearance:	0.45m
Armour:	45 - 200mm
Max Speed:	29kph on road / 19kph off road
Crew:	6 (Driver, Commander, Gunner, Loader, 2 x Sponson Gunners)
Armament:	Turret-mounted battle cannon, hull-mounted lascannon, 2 x sponson-mounted heavy bolters
Main ammunition:	36 shells in flash protected magazine. Stowage capacity for three variant shell types (AT, Conqueror etc)
Fording depth:	1.9m

ne of the greatest heroes of the 3rd Armoured Company of the 124th Cadian regiment was Colonel Tamus Sirhan, commander of the Leman Russ battle tank, 'Anvilus Imperator'. Famed for always riding into battle with his hatch open and brandishing his family power sabre, he disdained those who cowered in their vehicles when there was the glory of dying enemies to behold. Ever eager to lead the charge of his vehicles, his company expended more fuel and munitions in the six-month Draxian Campaign, than the entire 235th Loackran Regiment recorded in their three-year campaign to liberate the Lodwyn Belt. Colonel Sirhan remains the only warrior in the 124th Cadian to have won the Order of Macharius, following his actions at the Battle of Vrodken Ford, where he and his company fought and destroyed a Chaos Battle Titan. The Titan protected the one place where armoured vehicles could cross the River Astur and which led to the enemy rear echelons. Imperial forces had taken a fearsome pounding trying to cross the river with pontoon bridges and every attempt had met with failure. The commanders of the force were unaware of this location until Sirhan's tanks captured the forward elements of the enemy's recon company probing from the north and were able to extract information on how they could approach the Imperial positions unseen.

Sirhan immediately mounted up his tanks, commandeering fuel and shells earmarked for the 2nd Company and roared off to the north in search of the crossing. Dawn was breaking as his scout vehicles reported the presence of the ford, though they attracted heavy fire as they attempted to cross. Determined to exploit this ford, no matter the cost, Sirhan led his vehicles from their laager and drove his tank straight into the water. As the tanks reached the centre of the river, a thunderous tremor shook the ground and the towering shape of a Titan emerged from behind the sides of the river valley. Three Leman Russ were blown apart in as many seconds by the Titan's guns, before the rest were able to scatter and return fire. The behemoth's void shields flickered as shell after shell impacted, but none could penetrate its thick armour and another swathe of tanks exploded under its withering firepower.

Leman Russ Battle Tank - Anvilus Imperator

Colonel Sirhan charged forwards, his tank belching smoke as it emerged from the river. Supporting infantry waited in the shadow of the Titan, but as more and more tanks emerged from the river, the weight of their suppressive fire began to take its toll. The shells of the few tanks that had survived to close with the Titan were now close enough to bypass their foe's shields and armoured plates cracked and ran molten beneath their repeated barrage. Realising that it had underestimated its foe, the Titan began backing off, but Colonel Sirhan was not to be denied. He drove right up to the Titan and unloaded his remaining ordnance into its weakening leg joint. His last shell detonated against the giant war machine's joint and, in a shower of flame and exploding metal shards, the Titan collapsed on top of the Colonel's Command tank, crushing him and his crew to death. The last, battered survivor of the company was able to vox regimental HQ and tell them what had happened. Within four hours flanking elements of the 124th Cadian regiment had crossed the Astur and were able to catch their enemy completely by surprise, rampaging through their baggage and supply camps. Every one of the dead tank crews received the Medallion Encarmine and Colonel Sirhan was awarded the Order of Macharius, despite some officers' belief that he should be posthumously court-martialled.

While an extreme example, Colonel Sirhan is fairly typical of the mindset of the commanders of Armoured companies: daring, dramatic and dynamic, always leading from the front and contemptuous of cowards. The men and women who make up the soldiers of an Armoured company see themselves as the elite companies of the Imperial Guard and are often dismissive of the lowly infantryman, all too often forgetting that all the different arms of the Imperial Guard must work together to achieve victory.

Leman Russ Battle Tank - Anvilus Imperator - Profile

COLONEL MITROFAN TESLA

t of Battle of the Vasterloir Salient, Armoured companies from the Jouran Dragoons counter-attacked the forces of the Ork Warlord, Grashtak the Arch-Murderer as they broke through the trenches of their Infantry companies. So successful was the counter-attack that the commander of the company, Colonel Mitrofan Tesla, pursued the Orks through the no man's land separating the two armies, back to their own positions. In the mad haste of pursuit, Tesla allowed his tanks to become scattered and when the Orks rallied and counter-attacked his force, many were picked off by bands of Ork Tank Hunters. It was a testament to Tesla's skill that he was able to regain a measure of command and control over his company and fight his way back to the following Infantry companies. Together with the supporting infantry, the Jourans were able to smash through the Ork lines and destroy hundreds of Ork warbands, breaking open the Salient and paving the way for victory in the campaign against the Orks.

Next: The War Against The Tyranids