131st Truskan


 * Under Construction***

The formation of the Truskan 131st was originally ordered as part of Commissar Sebastian Yarrick’s military expedition to wipe out the Great WAAAAAAGH! of Ghazghkull Thraka, in order to provide some supplementary arctic biome specialists to the expedition.

Despite serving with dedication in the frozen mountains with which Truskans are so familiar, the 131st’s service under the command of Yarrick’s expedition could be called ‘unremarkable’ at best. Their service with Yarrick lasted a mere 4 years before they were diverted away to combat other threats to the imperium. Placed under the command of a charismatic young Colonel, Lauri Rinne, it was only after this time that the Truskan 131st began to serve with any particular distinction.

The stalwart tribes of Trusk live a harsh life on their ice world. Almost all Truskans become excellent marksmen out of necessity. The Truskan 131st was marshalled from those tribes who chose to live in the most mountainous or high-altitude glaciers of the planet. Constantly experiencing white-out blizzards with hurricane-force winds, and endlessly hunted by the ferocious white monsters that stalk the glaciers, those who managed to thrive in such conditions developed incredibly keen eyesight.

Now given over full command of the regiment, Colonel Rinne decided to put these strengths to use. Thus, he reorganized the 131st into a highly efficient force of airborne light infantry, capable of engaging from incredible distances with even the most rudimentary weaponry. From that point, the Truskan 131st quickly gained renown for this ability to fight effectively at such extreme range under the cover of powerful air support.

Even more, the unusually high number and quality of the 131st’s snipers quickly impressed their allies. Able to deliver deadly, pinpoint accurate fire under even the most extreme pressure, winds, and weather conditions from astounding distances, they earned the 131st its nickname, the “Frostrangers.” The most veteran sniper possess such keen eyesight and marksmanship that they have, on rare occasion, been documented delivering killing shots to Renegade Commanders before forward Ratling auxilia were in range to engage.

Being a light infantry regiment specializing in high-altitude terrain would mean that the 131st deployed very few armored vehicles, and possessed only the most rudimentary artillery in the form of handheld mortars. Recognizing this weakness early on in his reformation process, Colonel Rinne called upon a friendship, Group Captain Alexsander Taggart, of the 752nd Aeronautica Imperialis.

In the name of the Emperor, Taggart answered the call of his friend and leveraged an entire Aeronautica Imperialis Group to be indefinitely attached to the Frostrangers’ regiment, as well as himself. The Truskan foot-soldiers quickly grew appreciative of the powerful air superiority provided by the various squadrons. The 752nd’s fighters, bombers, and tactical aircraft soon because almost synonymous with the Frostrangers, and were lovingly nicknamed “Frostwings” by the grateful Truskans. Firstly for the white stripes painted across the leading edges of their wings, and secondly for the inordinate and extremely dangerous amounts of ice that would accumulate on the aircraft over the course of a battle.

The rest of the 752nd’s story, however, is a tale for another time.

After cutting their teeth on several minor campaigns, the first real test of the 131st would be the Gehenna Crusade...