Chaos offensive retakes the Kuneus coast on Mordecai

With Kutuzov's armies strangled by lack of resources, the forces of chaos once again launched a series of powerful offensives as 08.020M42 progressed, pressing hard against the imperial defences. In the south, on the coast of the Kuneus Traps, Death Guard and Thousand Sons forces managed to make a breakthrough, pushing the imperial army away from the shore and retaking much of the Sathugar mines.

The Death Guard forced the opening in Kutuzov's lines by battering the imperial defences held by the Valdograd mechanised guard regiments. Hosts of nurglings were thrown into the attack, and despite the Valdorgrad being equipped with heavy flamers on their chimeras, they were unable to clear the diminutive daemons fast enough. While occupied with the nurglings, the Death Guard Artillery conducted particularly effective and accurate counter battery fire, neutralising the imperial Basilisks and Manticores. With the Valdorgrad army tied up with daemons and unable to effectively counter the traitor legion from afar, the Death Guard had forced an opening in the imperial defences.

 The Emerald Serpent now exploited this gap in Kutuzov's lines, breaking through and rushing into the imperial rear. As the imperial guard withdrew to a defensive line further north, the Hammers of the Emperor tried to blunt the advance of the chaos forces. At the spearhead of the chaos advance were the two daemon primarchs themselves, Mortarion and Magnus. their appearance together on Mordecai showed the power of Astralis and the determination from the chaos side to retake the system for the dark gods. The Hammers pressed their attack anyway, managing to force both daemon primarch's back into the warp, but this was not enough. Later on, Kutuzov threw in his own mobile reserve in the form of airborne Scion formations, but these two were cut to ribbons by the chaos forces now moving up through the breach in the imperial lines. The Sathugar mines had been lost, and imperial command was forced to hastily prepare new defences facing the new threat to the south.