[WH40K] Composition of IG Regiments

[Tyyr]

Ok, something just popped up as I was working on my guard regiment.

How big are IG regiments? Regiments are typically formed from battalions which are made up of companies. A regiment usually has about 5,000ish troops in it.

Now the descriptions of IG regiment sizes I've read tend to agree in troop numbers, roughly. However in most cases they seem to jump directly from company size to regiment, bypassing the battalion step. For instance the 597th Valhallans have five companies and several thousand troops but no battalion organization I can recall. Same thing with the Cadians in Cadian Blood, several thousand troops but they go right from companies to regiment. Now they made a bit more sense as they seemed to have a dozen or more companies so you can explain the situation with really big companies but not so much with the Valhallans.

Anybody got an explanation for this? Are IG companies just REALLY big? I realize that in making my own regiment I can do as I please but before I deviate from the basline I'd love to know what it is.

[Tyyr]

That's gotta be a total clusterfuck.

Assuming even a small total size of 3,000 troops and big platoons of 100 men that's still thirty separate platoons.

[Tyyr]

...Seafort's magically disappearing post...

[Captain Seafort]

I was debating whether to leave it or not - IIRC, the Ghosts were organised as 40 platoons of fifty men in "First and Only". However, in "Necropolis" they went into Vervunhive approximately 2500 strong (80 vehicles, thirty to a vehicle).

[Sionnach Glic]

The short answer is that, like everything else in the Guard, it varies wildly. Some have massive numbers of troops (one of the Tallarn regiments during the Taros Campaign had more than 10,000 troops), others have relatively small numbers (~1000 for another regiment in that same campaign).

Similarly, the command structure itself is all over the place, as your examples illustrate nicely.

[Tyyr]

Bugger.

Well since I'm an over anal retentive organization freak I'll probably have a battalion level structure.

[Sionnach Glic]

IA3 has a complete layout of various regiments in it, including equipment lists, vehicles, supporting personel, command structure, etc. If you'd like, I could post that up tonight for you.

[Tyyr]

I'd appreciate it. Like I said, I prefer to have some clue as to the norm before deviating from it.

[Sionnach Glic]

What are you looking for?

Standard Infantry regiment
Mechanised Infantry Regiment
Armour Regiment
Drop Troops

[Tyyr]

Longshoremen are mech infantry with armor and artillery. I wanted self contained regiment so that if I ever did start an IG army everything would be wearing the same colors.

[Sionnach Glic]

Cool. I'll post it up sometime tonight, I'm not able to get to my books right now.

[Mikey]

I don't recall ever hearing about a battalion-level structure, and the company-level structure seems pretty malleable as well. The Ghosts are a bad example, as they are a regiment comprising the remains of three. Even so, at the destruction of Tanith IIRC they were listed as a bit over 3,000 men strong - and that seemed to be considered relatively small fro a regiment copared to some of the others in the Sabbat Worlds crusade.

[Tyyr]

Ok, another IG organizational question though this is more opinion than canon.

I'm planning on having the 1297th to have native armor, Leman Russes of various breeds. The question is how to integrate them.

The first option is a separate battalion of just armor. Concentrate the tanks in one area. This is nice in that the tank command structure is unified and operating as a single unit for large breakthroughs would be simplified. The downside is if the unit is broken down and companies or platoons are assigned to support the infantry it can become difficult for the commander to keep track of his troops.

Second option is to have the armor distributed through the command structure. Right now I'm thinking that each battalion would have its own tank company assigned to it. This simplifies coordination with the infantry but can make coordinating the tanks for larger efforts difficult.

Thoughts?

[Captain Seafort]

Battlegroup them - have the armour concentrated in a single battalion administratively, but assign company- and platoon-sized units to infantry battalions and companies, and vice-versa, as the tactical situation demands.

[Tyyr]

So there would technically be an armor commander but unless an objective required an armored formation larger than a company he'd pretty much sit around with his thumb up his ass?