Mordecai Secundus: Kutuzov's southern front collapses

With the Imperial army on the defensive on Mordecai Secundus it was only a matter of time before the chaos forces launched their own grand offensive against Kutuzov's forces. Although the imperial general could not be certain where or when this attack would come, he madeplans to counter any chaos assault, digging in his front line guard units and holding his astartes forces in reserve as a rapid reaction force.

 

On 1405.020M42 the attack came, in the south, where Kutuzov's armies had had the least time to prepare positions. The attack was led by the death guard and a large number of elite dreadnoughts, that brushed aside the troops at the front and driving directly for the city of Kuneus. Now Kutuzov had a good idea of the chaos plans and the Carcharadons agreed to carry out a precision strike on the leading elements of the chaos attack, hoping to decapitate the offensive and force the traitor forces back to their start lines.

 

The Carcharadon drop went wrong from the outset. Somehow the chaos army had managed to gain prior warning of the attack, and had swarmed over the astartes planned drop zones. It was too late for the space marines to call off the attack however, and the as they landed the astartes came under withering fire from the Death Guard walkers, backed up by swarms of cultists. The Carcharadron strike was severely neutered, and the chaos forces had an insurmountable tactical position. Inevitably, the pockets of astartes that made it into contact with the enemy were surrounded and wiped out, leading to a tragic and costly massacre which directly lead to the collapse of Kutuzov's southern line.

 

Realising he had no choice, the imperial general ordered a withdrawal to shorten his lines and save what men and equipment he could, before the Death Guard could surround and cut off his entire southern wing. This meant abandoning Kuneus to the forces of chaos, and handing back the precious toe-hold the Imperium had in the Sathugar mines. The reversal now left Kutuzov facing the threat of a chaos breakthrough which could only be stopped by his reserve force of Knights and Astra Militarum Scions. Meanwhile, the Carcharadons began immediate investigations to find the source of the intelligence leak which had cost them so dearly.