The squad of Veteran Guardsmen from the Death Korps of Krieg that first deployed in the Kill Team: Octarius boxed set will be available separately for the first time from Saturday.* To get ready for the release, we're taking a look back at the storied history of this infamous regiment.
Out of the Ashes
When the prosperous hive world of Krieg rose up in rebellion, its own army decided that if the God-Emperor couldn't have the planet, no one could. In a display of unflinching loyalty,** they hit the big red button and launched a devastating atomic attack on their own cities. Sure, the planet was reduced to a radioactive wasteland – but it was a loyalist radioactive wasteland.
It took another 500 years for the Imperium to notice that anyone had survived – and though Krieg is now a toxic death world, at least its Death Korps get to wear those cool gas masks.
Redemption Through Sacrifice
To atone for the failures of their incinerated brethren, the Death Korps of Krieg are now obliged to fight to the bitter end in the most dangerous war zones across the galaxy. These scarily stubborn soldiers are eager to prove their loyalty through grim service – and by crushing those who would betray the Imperium.***
The infamous Siege of Vraks was a perfect opportunity for the Death Korps to demonstrate their love of thankless sacrifice, as the Astra Militarum was pitted against home-grown traitors stirred up by the Arch-Corruptor Mamon and reinforced by invading Heretic Astartes such as Zhufor, the Butcher of Vraks.
By the end of the conflict, over 14 million Guardsmen had been killed – surely that’s enough for the God-Emperor to forgive that unpleasantness on Krieg? No? Okay then.
Fire and Brimstone
Many consider the Salamanders to be the friendliest of the Space Marine Chapters, so it must take something special to annoy them. Faced with a separatist insurgency on Hespher II, the Salamanders advised issuing a swift punishment and allowing the defeated rebels a chance to repent the error of their ways.
The Death Korps disagreed with this soft touch and unleashed their artillery on a hab block while the Salamanders' Captain was busy sweeping it for captives. The Captain survived and, oddly enough, he wasn’t very happy – surely he should have been glad to give his life in the Imperium's service?
All this is just a taste of the long and (in)glorious history of the Death Korps – we’ve not even covered the Octarius Sector, where they’re busy trying to clean up Inquisitor Kryptman's messes. If you’re hungry for more, you can dig into a host of Black Library tales from author Steve Lyons, such as the action-packed Dead Men Walking and his upcoming novel set on Octarius itself – the aptly-named Krieg.
Plus, don't forget to pre-order your Death Korps of Krieg models this Saturday. They make an awesome kill team, but they’re also useful in Warhammer 40,000, whether you want to field them as line infantry or a veteran squad in your Astra Militarum army.
Speaking of Kill Team, the latest FAQs for this fast-paced sci-fi skirmish game have been released to answer all your gaming queries. Our FAQs page has the very latest designers' commentaries for your favourite faction.
* Get a look at what some top hobbyists did with the models.
** Or a display of being extremely poor losers, depending on who you ask.
*** Check out the short story The Strong Among Us to see the Death Korps' relentlessness in action.