Primus-Strategos Blazaar Dymov

Primus-Strategos Blazaar Dymov commands the 216th Expeditionary Fleet‘s First Army. This makes him perhaps the fourth most important person in the fleet, after Horatio Octavian II, his second in command Fleet Marshall Djev, and the commander of 1st Army Group General Sheev Verox.

Background

Born on Phylandriankier, Dymov was one of 63 children hostages handed over to the Luna Wolves post-compliance. He was therefore brought up inside the 63rd Expeditionary Fleet’s military machine, initially in the newly established Schola Imperialis Militaris, then honing his skills serving on the staff of such notable individuals as J’Balth Zaar, Kirta Hilkender and Hector Varvarus. 

By the time he was assigned to the newly formed 216th Fleet as part of the initial veteran core, Dymov was leading secondary, non-Astartes operations himself.

Rumours flooded the fleet that Dymov’s appointment was more than simply to pass on his experience to the newly formed 216th Expeditionary Fleet. Some suggested that he was sent to keep an eye on the fleet and watch for any troubling activity. Some rumours had him reporting to Maloghurst others to Abaddon, whilst some more outlandish ones suggested he was reporting to Horus himself. It is possible that the pervasiveness of these rumours was due to the strained relationship between Dymov and the new cadre of officers rising through the 216th. Although there was never an official inquiry from fleet command, or even an acknowledgement of the rumours, classified notes from Horatio Octavian II’s personal diary reveal that the fleet’s intelligence operations did look into this but there was no indication of any duplicity.
Despite this, the rumours only exacerbated after the outbreak of the Horus Heresy, when in the eyes of some his appointment had become more suspect. Dymov’s actions during the war in Xyphos removed any lingering doubt as he drove his army to fight more furiously against the traitors than he did against any enemy during the Great Crusade. 

Joining the 216th Fleet, Dymov was appointed Hipparch-Officio Locum by Captain Cato Valerianus, overseeing the fleet’s entire logistics train. Cato’s reasoning was that such an incredibly important position required an experienced hand such as Dymov. It was clear from fleet records that Dymov resented this role, feeling he should have held a battlefield command rather than a logistical one.

Regardless he performed his role admirably, if without any great note, during the fleet’s initial consolidation phase and the subsequent transition into a frontline fleet in 956.M30.

First Army Command

“Each of us are answerable to the Emperor for our deeds. Each of us fight for him. My truth consists in a Kalibrax V-I Pattern Lasrifle, a well charged power pack and one-hundred and fifty rounds of Terran vengeance. This is the Exercitus Imperialis creed. Come, comrades, drink success to Imperial Arms!”

Closing words of Primus-Strategos Blazaar Dymov’s speech on appointment to the First Army, 216th Expeditionary Fleet, 999.M30

Once the Ultramarines contingent departed in 998.M30, there was a reshuffle at fleet command. With Horatio Octavian II now Lord Marshall of the fleet, there was a vacancy in the First Army. The feeling amongst those officers who had risen through the fleet (as opposed to joining from the 63rd and 12th Expeditionary Fleets) was that one of their own should be appointed. After all they had been operating on their own for decades and had more than proven themselves.

However, aware that Dymov was a powerful voice amongst the original veteran core, Horatio Octavian II offered him the now vacant First Army, promoting him to Primus-Strategos.

This was initially seen as an unwise move by many who felt that Dymov had been appointed for political reasons and had not merited command of the most distinguished army of the fleet.

Dymov soon proved otherwise as he seemed energised by the appointment. He augmented the existing staff with a number of companions from his EFLC days and tirelessly worked to bend the First Army (already a highly decorated unit) into a new image.

Learning from his time amongst the Luna Wolves, Dymov saw the advantages of aggressive assaults aimed at cutting off the enemy’s head before it could meaningfully respond. Without any Astartes in the Expeditionary Fleet to fulfil this role, Dymov wanted the First Army to take on such actions. He relied on Veletaris Storm cohorts, regiments of Hellrazers and fire battalions of Oyzians as the core of his army and spent months in simulated combat to hone their talents.

Impressed by the brutal efficiency of Dymov’s new army, Horatio would jokingly take to referring to the First Army as his Speartip.

First Army Staff

Dymov is seen here coordinating the war on Stepind IV in 004.M31, accompanied by Primistiarios M’Lem and several members of his staff. Dymov often eschewed the protection of his Leviathan Command Vehicle, instead preferring to lead on the field and rely on communications from his headquarters to keep him fully up to date.

Whilst certainly an unorthodox approach for army-level command, Dymov maintained it made him lead better if he could “smell the battle“.

Because Dymov was therefore frequently away from his intelligence hub, he relied of M’Lem to ensure any relevant information was fed to him. This was particularly key for the First Army as it required close cooperation between the army and navy elements to avoid a catastrophe.

M’Lem holds the rank Primistiarios, a title meaning he is the senior astropath in the First Army and capable of directing his own choral-proclamations. He is also actually the fourth M’Lem in his family to serve Dymov, being under a Dynastic Deed of Supplication to support him. Given the toll sending messages takes, astropaths do not typically have a long life expectancy. It speaks to the volume of messages that Dymov sends that four generations of astropaths have served him.

The unidentified staff officer wears the blue beret and grey fatigues common amongst the wing of the Expeditionary Fleet Logistics Corps responsible for staffing all fleet headquarters above the regimental level.

He can be seen holding written orders for dispatch to Dymov’s corps commanders, along with a portable vox-caster. Dymov had a reputation for calling commanders all the way down to the company level where they failed to live up to his unrelenting expectations.

Dymov relied so heavily on the EFLC partly due to his experience as Hipparch-Officio Locum and the need for constant supply. This proved fortuitous across his campaigns as the First Army were seldom affected by the supply issues that plagued other armies – most notoriously the Fourteenth Army on Portus.