Urslavik 33rd

“there was a keen wind blowing at the time and even with my greatcoat, it was an hour or more before I could find any warmth in me. One of the Urslaviks, on seeing me shiver, remarked whilst brandishing his lasrifle
‘don’t worry, the enemy will warm us up in good time – tho’ not, you may be sure, as much as we warm them!’
The rest of the troop laughed at this, and we advanced til we discovered a large body of enemy, kill’d them a good many.”

Extract from “The Personale Diaree of Philippe Antonio-Bashkenda, most esteemed member of the Rembrancer Order, attached to the 216th Expeditionary Fleet”

Background

Sevshok had a long military tradition, having been subject to frequent xenos raids during the Age of Strife. Its population lived either in the submerged hab-mines, or in vast ships that traversed Sevshok’s icy oceans.

A bitterly cold world situated in the fringe of its system’s habitable zone, there is little evidence why the planet was colonised in the first place for it has no great natural exports. Instead, it’s sons and daughters, raised hardy were taught to fight the two threats: the cold, and the xenos. This made them superb candidates for the Imperialis Auxilia.

One of seventy-nine original regiments raised by the governor of Sevshok, the Urslavik 33rd had a long history in the 12th Expeditionary Fleet before being re-assigned as part of the creation of the 216th.

Equipment & Fighting Style

Much was lost on Sevshok during the Age of Strife, and so the Urslaviks came to prefer simple, reliable tech. Lasrifles are the weapon of choice. The above warrior shows the locally manufactured Sevshok-alpha pattern lasrifle which features additional plating to stop freezing temperatures draining the power pack quicker.

The bayonet shown on the above trooper’s lasrifle is a standard issue item. It also can be used as a standalone knife with the serrated edge developed to combat the chitinous armour of the ShavShav (vicious predatory animals native to Sevshok).

Each warrior wears a heavy greatcoat and a thermo-reactive bonding suit both of which help regulate temperature and keep them warm. The Gronkskin hat (made from another creature native to Sevshok) helps prevent heat loss, but is also a traditional item of the Urslaviks, with some being family heirlooms passed down the generations. The loss of such equipment is deemed a grave dishonour, and often Discipline Masters have to restrain warriors from running back to the fight to regain theirs.

Urslavik units primarily fight as mass infantry waves, eschewing troop transports which were often unreliable on Sevshok. Warriors are taught to advance continuously, even in the face of heavy firepower, and to rely on their fellow warriors to carry the day. Although casualties are usually high using such tactics, it has proved decisive on a number of occasions, particularly during the Fleuje Rebellion

Notable Conflicts

• The Fleuje Rebellion – After initially accepting compliance, the mining world of Fleuje threw off its Imperial shackles soon after, ousting the planetary governor in a bloody coup. The 216th’s 2nd Army was sent to reclaim the world and punish the rebels. Initial landings proved disastrous as the Fleujans had undermined the primary spaceport. Collapsing under the weight of the imperial landing ships, hundreds of thousands of soldiers died. Unperturbed, the Urslavik 33rd (who had landed in the first ship and therefore were free of the spaceport massacre) advanced onwards. The Fleujans thought the day was already won and so were shocked to see the sea of Urslavik infantry rushing to their position. Despite their best attempts to stop them, including using trucks laden with mining explosives, the Urslavik infantry kept advancing, heedless of their losses. They hit the Fleujan line with the force of a adult Gronk, butchering the rebels in cold fury. Unable to stand against professional soldiers, the rebels fled and were subsequently cut down. Following this battle a new planetary governor was installed and a sub-corps of Plöners garrisoned to avoid further thoughts of rebellion.