Carnage at Tarlius - The Iron Warriors make gains

Sector Commander Titus Luthor realised the rising threat in Tarlius system, after the Novgorod Guard had managed to stall the Iron Warriors without support, Luthor was confident that with in system support they could smash the Chaos advance. Answering their call for aid the Dark Angels sent in a Strike Cruiser for the fresh offensive.

On 2810.017M42 the strike force advanced in system. The Novgorod made planetfall their assault upon the Iron Warriors. The Imperial plan was a hammer and anvil assault, the Novgorod occupying traitor forces while the Dark Angels attack broke through elsewhere.  The Novgorod attack went initially as planned, preliminary bombardments provoking a response from the Iron Warriors who inflicted heavy casualties in return. Colonel Mikhailov in the field callously ordered his Conscripts into the path of the Iron Warriors who obligingly slaughtered them before tearing into the veteran Novgorod. Novgorod cavalry outflanked but were too caught out by the Iron Warriors. It appeared that stalemate of attrition and slaughter would once again repeat as planned. However Stahl had heavily fortified and supplied his positions, meaning constant resupply and rearmament utterly outclassed the Guardsman who found themselves rapidly overwhelmed despite inflicting casualties. The last pict recordings of the battle to command was from Colonel Mikhailov’s ocular implant as he was beheaded by a Berzerker. 

In a simultaneous battle the Dark Angels fared little better, expecting little resistance the Dark Angels were confronted by a single massive Mastodon Assault Transport. The Dark Angels directed all their firepower into the monstrous vehicle damaging but not destroying it. The Khornate Bezerker horde within charged from the Mastodon, first crashing into the Raven Wing screening the main force then into the line itself. The Mastodon was heavily damaged but any hope of a break through attack was an abject failure and the Dark Angels were forced to withdraw.

Rather than slow the Iron Warrior advance, the Imperial forces instead strengthened the Stahl’s position as further Chaos forces were drawn under Stahl’s banner, the planet and fortified. Activated defence lasers that began targeting the orbiting Imperial fleet forcing a full withdraw from the Tarlius system.