Oz

Oz is an Imperial frontier world located in the Britannica Cluster in the Ultima Segmentum. This world is home to the 109th Oz Drop Regiment, known as the 'Hell's Belles', an elite, all-female drop troops regiment of the Astra Militarum.

Background
Oz is a frontier world on the fringes of the Britannica Cluster in the Britannica Sector. While it has its share of snowy mountains and arable plains and a long and genuinely beautiful coastline the interior of the single supercontinent, comprising most of the land surface, is distinctly unpleasant comprising high, arid plateaus, scorching deserts and, for contrast, fetid, swampy sinks. The inhabitants of these unfavored regions divide their time between mining, ungulant ranching, fishing and swamp logging all the while battling the vicious, sauroid native life. Ozzies are a big people, not as large as Catachans perhaps but close, powerfully muscled with high geared metabolisms requiring a large food intake and a notable indifference to cold as well as heat.

The 109th is one fifty or so Oz regiments raised for the Sixth Black Crusade (901.M36). They also served in the War of the Chaos Sun and the Altid Crusade. The Ninth Black Crusade, the Conflict of Helica and the Gothic War before being sent to the Eastern Fringe to fight the Tau in the Damocles Gulf Crusade aboard the Glaswegian Imperial Navy transport Triumpans.

Regimental Culture
"If they'd just wear foundation garments we'd have a lot fewer accidents around here"

- Colonel Charles Edward Oman

The troopers of the 109th come from a rough-and-ready frontier culture, individualist and self reliant where children quickly learn to shoot straight and all the vital spots into which to slip a blade thanks to aggressive and dangerous native lifeforms. Ozzies do not go in for spit and polish and strict military discipline but they are among the finest infiltration and reconnaissance troops in the Imperium. The Belles are big women who favor minimal covering that allows their skin to breath.They rarely encumber themselves with full fatigues. Informal as their state of dress may be on duty they are all business. Off duty of course is a whole other story.

The Belles are probably no more hellraisers than any other regiment but being one of the rare all-female units makes their activities more noticeable. Their leaves also tend to result in collateral damage to troopers from other regiments who sometimes mistake the Belles for joygirls and don't take no for an answer. Fortunately this problem does not arise with their comrades of the 10th Damocles Battle Group.

The Belles - and Oz Regiments in general - have an everybody fights ethic which means even regimental and company level officers command a platoon in battle and can be found alongside their troops rather than in a chimera or command post - which has both advantages and drawbacks. Colonel Stoengerd expects a high standard of initiative from her junior officers and the rankers.