Commissar Hellmark

393

A Death Korps Commissar is a commissar assigned to the Astra Militarum by the Officio Prefectus who serves as a political officer in the regiments of the Death Korps of Krieg that hail from the devastated, post-apocalytic Death World of Krieg in the Segmentum Tempestus. Like all Imperial Commissars, they are tasked with the maintenance of the morale of the Death Korps' troops during military campaigns, often in the face of staggering casualties. The Death Korps Commissar is empowered to use any means necessary to ensure the loyalty and moral purity of his or her charges, and is regarded with a mixture of fear and admiration by regular Guardsmen. Commissars are present in Death Korps regiments as mandated by Departmento Munitorum regulations, being the only non-Krieg natives to serve in the Death Korps. Due to the relatively low rates of infraction and morale problems among Death Korps regiments, these Commissars more often find themselves employed in reining in the Death Korps' often excessive zeal, and act as tactical advisors rather than enforcers of discipline. Commissars assigned to a Death Korps regiment are often well placed to become a voice of restraint for Death Korps officers, reinforcing the wider strategic goals of the campaign over the exigencies of short-term victories by preventing the expenditure of men and materiel that might be needed later. In theatres of war where Death Korps regiments must fight alongside other Imperial formations, Commissars attached to Death Korps regiments' command staff also find it prudent to act as a liaison between regimental commands where needed, as well as keeping a sharp eye on any acrimony between the Death Korps and other Imperial Guardsmen deployed to the same areas so that it does not become a problem. In order to prevent potential difficulties from arising, the individual Commissars assigned by the Commissariat to Death Korps regiments have a tendency to be more politically-minded or diplomatic than most.

Guardsmen

213

"Men, we are the first, last and often only line of defence the Imperium has against what is out there. You and that fine piece of Imperial weaponry you hold in your hands is all that is keeping humanity alive. Most of you will probably not live to see your second year in the Guard and most of you will probably never see your homeworlds again, but I can guarantee you that when you do fall, with a prayer to the most high and mighty God-Emperor on your lips, you will have earned the right to call yourself a man!" The Astra Militarum, also known as the Imperial Guard in colloquial Low Gothic, is the largest coherent fighting force in the galaxy and serves as the Imperium of Man's primary military force and first line of defence from the myriad threats which endanger the existence of the Human race in the 41st Millennium. It is comprised of countless billions of men and women -- hundreds of thousands of different regiments, supported by a vast array of light and heavy armoured vehicles that provide the Imperial Guard's primary offensive punch. The Astra Militarum is usually the first Imperial force to respond to a threat if a world's Planetary Defence Force (PDF) fails to suppress it.