Eldar breakout on Ares

The long running war on Ares had become something of a stalemate by mid 013M42, with the eldar holding Ares City and the Imperium holding the valleys and heights which protected the settlements of Hellebron and Caeralon. General Vasilevsky was content to hold the eldar at bay in this way, complaining his forces were not numerous enough to attempt another assault on the capital, but his superior, General Veers, was anxious to get the city, or at least its ruins, back into imperial hands. Most importantly the eldar were still in possession of the main starport, making it all the more difficult for Veers to reinforce his subordinate, not that he chose to in any case.

Vasilevsky stubbornly refused to launch another assault, and would have risked the attentions of the commissariat, had the Salamanders, Dark Angels and Blood Angels arrived and agreed to mount a large raid against the eldar. Following the raid, Vasilevsky would follow up with his imperial guard regiments, and mount another offensive on the imperial capital.

The Blood Angels, aided by a smaller force of Dark Angels in support, mounted the first reconnaissance along the shores of the Helion sea, a region populated by humanity for millenia, and home to a number of small and ancient settlements, their buildings dating back hundreds of years to Ares' "medieval period". The astartes force were taken completely by surprise by a carefully planned ambush by the eldar forces, demonstrating that the aliens had built their forces up on the planet once again. Despite a valiant effort, the Angels of death were forced to evacuate their force before it was surrounded.

The Salamanders now moved in to cover theit brother astartes' retreat, expecting to brush aside the eldar army with their renewed attack. They were disappointed. The eldar forces once again proved themselves too strong and too organised for even the greatest of humanity's warriors. Suffering heavy losses and despite checking the eldar advance for a time, the Salamanders were also obliged to withdraw, warning Vasilevsky that the eldar now had overwhelming force and would easily overcome his defences unless Veers provided more troops.