Sergeant (Imperial Guard)

"A good soldier obeys without question. A good officer commands without doubt."

—Tactica Imperium

An Astra Militarum sergeant of the Cadian Shock Troops relaying orders from his platoon commander to the troops of his squad.

A sergeant is a senior non-commissioned officer (NCO) rank within the Astra Militarum. They are the assigned leaders of individual squads and conduct much of the day-to-day training and operations within any platoon of an Imperial Guard regiment.

Those few battle-hardened sergeants who have proved their fidelity, loyalty and valour are promoted to the seasoned rank of veteran sergeant. These combat veterans often find themselves in a leadership role, mentoring less-experienced troops and junior officers. They lead by example, inspiring courage and awe on the field of battle, instilling their wisdom and battle-field experience upon their subordinates -- and often their superiors as well. Veteran sergeants often have access to non-standard gear as well as a variety of items, such as peaked caps and refractor field gorgets, normally reserved only for officers.

Role

"Impact in ten... nine... eight... Holt pull it together, six... five... get those weapons ready you maggots, three... two... [VOX LOG DISTORT]. Out, out out! Go, you pukes, go! That's the target, that one there. You want to end up as one of those corpses, Feldspar? Stop gawking and move Move MOVE! Holt, krak missiles, not frag, you fumbling oaf! Today would be good... Throne dammit, take it down!"

— Sergeant Stig "Bull" Krieger, Cadian XIV Orbital Assault, the Battle of Parched Earth

Sergeants are typically well-respected, non-commissioned officers, who fill a number of leadership roles within the Astra Militarum. The strong backbone of the Imperial Guard, sergeants are in charge of the individual squads, and much of the day-to-day operation of units falls on their capable shoulders.

Along with their leadership roles, sergeants are tasked with the training and general education of their subordinates. They are expected to take new conscripts and turn them from inexperienced civilians into battle-ready and professional guardsmen, typically in a stunningly short amount of time. The institutional memory of the Astra Militarum also lies largely with its sergeants and their colleagues among the non-commissioned officers. These senior enlisted men and women typically have standard years of hard-earned combat and leadership experience, and tend to have a better grasp of tactics and the necessities of competent command under fire than many of their superior officers, especially those who have never served in actual combat. It is a wise officer who places their trust in their sergeants, especially when new to a unit, as the sergeants typically have the trust and respect of the troops under them already, and, in some regiments, their support, or lack thereof, can make or break an officer.

Due to their role as both leaders and instructors, sergeants in the Astra Militarum are expected to lead from the front, driving their troops to feats of valour and glory, and setting a strong example for junior enlisted troops and officers alike. A good sergeant can keep a squad together even under the most dire of circumstances, using their command skills, natural gravitas, and the earned trust of their troops to quell fear and rally shaken guardsmen under their command.

This is not to suggest, however, that all sergeants in the Astra Militarum are highly-respected father figures and competent leaders, who have the best interests of their troops foremost in mind. In an organisation as vast, varied and far-ranging as the Imperial Guard, the opposite may be the case. Tyrannical, corrupt, and incompetent sergeants litter the noncommissioned officers' corps. Many find that the power they wield goes to their head, and they take to brutalising their subordinates. Others find themselves in over their heads, and their fear and inability make them capricious and dangerous.

Many incompetent or brutal sergeants have met their end at the hands of their subordinates, victims of "accidents" or "friendly fire incidents" (also known as "fragging") on the battlefield. In general, however, sergeants are a blessing to a squad. Their experience and knowledge is priceless, and surely, without its sergeants, the Astra Militarum would suffer greatly.

Rank Insignia

The sergeant's rank insignia is indicated Imperium-wide as three chevrons, with little to no variation. In most cases this is sewn or pinned on the uniform. However, in more brutal environments (such as on Catachan, where most of the issued gear that would reflect rank has been sold for alcohol or cigars) it is more common to see the rank tattooed or even branded onto the individual's arm.

On service and dress unifoms, senior sergeants have varied ways of discerning one from another. A sergeant major will usually have a star underneath their chevrons, whereas a sergeant assigned to Tactica Control will have a skull and wreaths in the same location. A Master of Ordnance will have their own unique insignia as well (a bursting bomb), but tends not to wear it on the surface of planets -- this is because the Master of Ordinance is the primary, if not the only, line of communication with the Navis Imperialis and exposing their rank makes them a priority target for snipers; the same philosophy is also applied to many high-ranking officers, and is also why all sergeants, even senior ones, are not referred to by their full rank in the field and simply called "sergeant."

Tiers of Sergeants

The Tactica Imperium only dictates the existence of the ranks of sergeant and veteran sergeant (following the practices of the Adeptus Astartes), but as the need for experience and counsel from the non-commissioned corps is still required at the highest levels of the Astra Militarum's hierarchy, governor-militants have universally adopted the practice of expanding the sergeant rank into multiple other ranks in order to discern one from another within the regiments of the Astra Militarum raised from their worlds:

• Sergeant - Sergeants are often placed in charge of a squad of guardsmen at the lowest tactical level (platoon).

• Staff Sergeant - A staff sergeant is the senior sergeant in a platoon. They can also be assigned to the platoon's Command Squad or to an Infantry Squad. Also known as a "platoon sergeant" in some regiments.

• Gunnery Sergeant - Above platoon level, most gunnery sergeants find themselves in charge of munitions and weapons for a full company, and are usually assigned positions in company command elements, in charge of a squad deemed critical by the company commander, or as the senior enlisted person in heavy support detachments.

• Master Sergeant - Master sergeants tend to forego the opportunity to become liaisons and advisors to their unit commanders and instead focus on one specific duty, such as logistics and supplies to the frontline, commanding a Leman Russ Tank or Chimera armoured transport vehicle, or being in charge of communications at the company level.

• First Sergeant - Unlike a master sergeant, first sergeants become liaisons and advisors to their company commander, and use their battlefield experience to recommend tactics and strategies to their commanding officer.

• Master Gunnery Sergeant (Master of Ordnance) - A master gunnery sergeant, also called a Master of Ordnance, is usually assigned to oversee all logistics, transport, and supply operations of a full regiment or even higher levels of tactical organisation within the Astra Militarum. In combat, master gunnery sergeants are usually assigned to command Leman Russ Tanks, or even on the rare occasion a Baneblade super-heavy tank. Senior master gunnery sergeants will undergo Imperial Naval training as a Communications Officer, and using their knowledge of communications will be assigned to a Command Squad at the regimental level or higher as a Master of Ordnance who is responsible for calling in all of their regiment's air support from the Navis Imperialis' Aeronautica Imperialis.

• Sergeant Major - Following the path of a first sergeant, the sergeant major is the senior enlisted advisor and liaison to a regimental commanding officer or to an even higher-ranked Astra Militarum officer, and is the senior enlisted person for their entire regiment. When more than one regiment is involved in a campaign, the senior officer, usually a lord general militant, will appoint one of the available sergeants major to the title of command sergeant major, indicating that they are the most senior of the sergeants major within all of the Imperial forces assigned to that theatre of operations for the duration of the campaign. There have been rumors of appointing one sole sergeant major to a new rank called "sergeant major of the Astra Militarum" to act as the Lord Commander Militant of the Astra Militarum's personal liaison and advisor to the ranks, but the selection list would be astronomically long and to date such a rank does not yet exist.

Specialist Positions

A Cadian Shock Troops regimental colour sergeant

• Colour Sergeant - While more of an appointment than an actual rank, the title of colour sergeant is often bestowed upon veteran and senior sergeants and sergeants major as a reward for many standard years of loyal service in the Astra Militarum. With the reward comes the responsibility of guarding the ensign or "colours" of the colour sergeant's parent regiment. These sacred flags are carried into battle, and are a key source of the average guardsman's morale and pride in their regiment. The colours carry each regiment's battle honours and are the embodiment of a regiment's soul. The loss of colours is not only considered to be bad luck for the regiment, but also a source of great shame, dishonour and an affront to the God-Emperor. Even dropping or allowing the colours to fall in battle is seen as a disgraceful act, so much so that guardsmen are known to willingly lay down their lives in droves so that the colours never touch the ground in the heat of battle. So important are the colours to each individual guardsman and the regiment as a whole, only sergeants with the fiercest fighting reputations and unwavering loyalty to the Emperor are given the appointment of colour sergeant.

Notable Sergeants

• Sergeant Dryak - Sergeant Dryak is a hardened veteran of the Catachan 233rd Regiment and a long serving member of the 14th Recon Company.

• Sergeant Major Jarran Kell (8th Cadian Regiment Colour Sergeant) - Jarran Kell was long the best friend and chief aide of Lord Castellan Ursarkar E. Creed. He was slain by Abaddon the Despoiler while getting Creed to safety aboard a Valkyrie transport on Cadia during the 13th Black Crusade before that world's fall to Chaos.

• Sergeant Major Merrick - Merrick was the command sergeant major of the Imperial Guardsmen involved in the Sub-sector Aurelia Exterminatus campaign during the Third Aurelian Crusade.

• Gunnery Sergeant "Stonetooth" Harker (Catachan Jungle Fighters, "Catachan Devils" Regiment) - A famous (infamous) NCO of the Catachan Jungle Fighters regiments.

• Staff Sergeant Lukas Bastonne (Cadian Shock Troops) - Lukas Bastonne was one of the most recognised faces on Cadia, as his image was the public trademark of the Cadian regiments, used for propaganda purposes for the Astra Militarum across the galaxy. His heroism and great bravery earned him enough of a reputation that he was instantly recognizable by his superiors, colleagues, and almost the entire population of Cadia. Bastonne's passion for his soldierly duty was second to none, which many whispered bordered on fanaticism.

• Sergeant Poul Marlin (10th Slavok Regiment) - Poul Marlin was considered the toughest NCO in the 10th Slavok Regiment.

Sources

• Codex: Imperial Guard (3rd Edition, 2nd Codex), pg. 16
• Codex: Imperial Guard (5th Edition), pp. 59, 62
• Imperial Infantryman's Uplifting Primer (Background Book), pg. 31
• Imperial Munitorum Manual (Background Book), pg. 18
• Lone Wolves (Graphic Novel) by Dan Abnett and Karl Richardson
• Only War: Core Rulebook (RPG), pg. 82
• Only War: Eleventh Hour (RPG), pg. 20