Its the Drop Site Massacre All Over Again

As a whole the Horus Heresy tin can be boiled down to a few key battles. While the novels expand the campaign into a sprawling network of skirmishes and conflicts, the core of the actual war can be put down to the two Isstvan battles, Prospero, Calth, Signus Prime, and then Terra. The outcome of each was critical to the overall victory of one side or the other, merely the point where it all could accept been ended has always remained the aforementioned - Isstvan V.

Meliorate known as the Drop Site Massacre, the campaign was the Emperor'south response to learning of Horus' betrayal. Now forewarned that his legion and iv others had turned, botching their initial strike by beingness dragged into a encarmine and costly conflict with loyalist elements of their ain legions, he sought to finish it with a hammer blow.
Later a substantial number of Imperial Fists were sent to endeavour and assist the loyalists at Isstvan Iii in whatever style they could, forces from vii legions were sent to end the rebellion in a single battle. With a spearhead force of Raven Baby-sit, Salamanders and the Iron Hands' Morlock elite initiating the first strike, the others were sent in to back their strike. Unbeknownst to all all the same, most the entirety of the legions backing them up had turned traitor, ready to bring together Horus in one moment. In a grim reflection of the Ullanor campaign, Horus proved his strategic genius, routing the Royal forces, decimating 2 entire legions and taking the life of a primarch.

Even in M41 the effects of this are still being felt, as a number of legions regard that event with bitter distaste. Information technology influenced the future of each force involved, sparked up rivalries and fifty-fifty led to fractures forming amid the loyalist forces. However, recent lore has continually retconned the Iron Hands into blaming Ferrus for failing and dying. They are written at present to almost openly deride him for charging forward into boxing, all the while blaming the other legions for his death. A contradictory opinion to be sure, but the question is if he was truly to blame for his fate. The bigger question is that, if the other legions had followed him, what might have changed?

The key point to cite here is when the supposed second wave of loyalists arrived, the Raven Baby-sit and Salamanders cruel back while the Iron Easily pressed forrad. This has been blamed past some as Ferrus' hatred and bloodlust leading to his death, not acting with the others and effectively rushing right onto Fulgrim's sword. The thing is though, what would have been inverse if he had retreated as the others urged? The ii other legions were massacred with the massed firepower of their "allies", in an deed of bloodshed which took the lives of tens of thousands of astartes and crippled nigh the entire Imperial strength. It was a group of already bloodied legionaries being attacked by masses of fresh, new forces, all with far more than heavy armour to support them.

Given that the Iron Hands were far fewer in number in this conflict, adding them into the mix would have changed nothing. While it is true that a spearhead of Morlocks might have been able to suspension the traitor lines, they were already surrounded with the legions scattered, the Salamanders broken upward and sent off to sure locations while the Atomic number 26 Hands back up elements and Raven Baby-sit went to others. They were as well spread out to capitalise upon whatsoever break-through effort, or back the spear-tip of whatsoever assail, and even if they did what might accept been accomplished? They would have still been surrounded, nonetheless have been facing the mercy of the traitor'due south guns and accomplished little across a few dead astartes in commutation. What's more than is that, even arguing this, even bold that the legions were in the right position to dorsum an attack, the Morlocks and Ferrus were on the reverse side of the battlefield from the direction the loyalists were moving in. Unless they abruptly stopped, completely reforming their lines to have their best fighters charging towards their supposed allies, the Iron Easily would accept arrived last.

Even the accomplishments people take suggested could have been pulled off with Ferrus' support are somewhat dubious. The foremost among these is that more of the traitor primarchs might have been cut down. An understandable claim to make, but for the most office one which would have been difficult to say the least. Think about who was involved for a moment and where their positions would take been. Perturabo, so far equally nigh know, was sticking behind his artillery and Alpharius would have been impossible to find even on a good day. What'due south more is that Lorgar and Night Haunter would have been out of sight behind their lines were information technology non for the Give-and-take Bearers' primarch feeling a moment of pity for his warriors. Well, that and Nighttime Haunter having a sudden moment of strange behaviour. The problem is that, fifty-fifty if they were nonetheless to perform those same actions with Ferrus falling back, he and Vulkan would nevertheless exist out of range to capitalise upon this.

To exist completely blunt, Ferrus falling back would take earned them goose egg beyond a few more than expressionless loyalists to the guns of traitors. Yet, with that considered, what might have happened if the Raven Baby-sit and Salamanders had opted to maintain their attack? Well, in all honesty, the Heresy might accept ended there then.

Think about it for a infinitesimal. Horus' plan had hinged upon them falling dorsum equally planned to continue the fight, and information technology had been Ferrus who had wanted to keep up the momentum of their assault. He was relying upon the bloodied loyalist forces pulling back and playing the long game, sticking to their initial gambit of one first wave breaking his defensive lines before a second followed up to end them. At the time the Fe Warriors, Discussion Bearers, Night Lords and Alpha Legion arrived, the initial four legions had lost ground, a considerable number of legionaries, their defensive lines were in ruins and the Legio Mortis' assaults had been repeatedly deflected. While nevertheless a powerful force, they were in full retreat and much of their heavy armour was gone. If they had maintained their attack, rather than being outnumbered past fresh new forces, the loyalists would take still been fighting severely depleted traitor forces who had already taken a severe pounding. A move which, ultimately, would accept likely reduced their overall casualties even without accounting for positioning, differences in firepower and ammunition loads compared with the arriving legions.

Think as well of what this situation would accept likewise meant when compared with the points outlined above. We've already established that they would accept all been focusing their forces upon a single location, just remember of the primarchs and the ease they could be reached. Those present in the initial landings were best known for leading from the forepart, with Angron, Mortarion and Fulgrim all seeking glory, blood or the pleasure of kills by their own easily. They would accept been far easier to coax out of hiding or cut downwardly while falling back, with Fulgrim in item already exposing himself by moving out only with his elite guard. From the fight itself, we already know that Ferrus was on the verge of killing the primarch of the Emperor's Children, forcing the daemon corrupting him to straight take control and end the fight. If even Corax or Vulkan alone were present to accept him out faster or finish the job, or perhaps even just a few more astartes there to help cutting down his babysitter, the duel could have easily turned the other mode.

Fulgrim's death lonely would have dramatically shifted the direction of the Heresy. Without him the Atomic number 26 Warriors would take never been diverted en mass to the Eye of Terror and afterwards Tallarn. Atop of this, without his rising to daemonhood and cognition, Horus would not have attained the power he later gained from bargaining with the Chaos Gods. Thus, when facing off against the Emperor, he would take been at a severe disadvantage. This is likewise just one example. Atop of this, without Angron leading them the World Eaters would accept become increasingly uncontrolled and directionless as an army, making them an even more unreliable in war. Hell, it'due south confirmed that Angron himself was key to forming the Ruinstorm. With him gone, the Ultramarines would non have been trapped. These are two cardinal figures, both of who could have been drawn out and individually teamed upwards confronting, killed, and and then had the loyalists motion on.

However, consider the bigger prize hither: Horus. While he might have been many things from a charismatic leader to a tragic figure, there is no denying that Horus was the linchpin property everything together. He had been the one to speak to virtually of the primarchs, making deals, convincing them to side with him and bargaining however he could. While Lorgar was the power behind the throne, Horus was the one to sit down on it, and without him the entire Heresy would take faltered. Call up near it for a 2d, do you honestly non see Angron, Fulgrim, Mortarion, Curze, or even Purturabo and Alpharius not butting heads over who next led or what the pecking guild was? Do yous really see them all willingly following Lorgar with the same willingness as they had shown Horus? Without him information technology'south rubber to say that the entire plan would accept broken down, perhaps fifty-fifty caused Chaos to fragment as an allied force.

While each of the primarchs would take fought similar the demi-gods of old, they would take been far easier to reach, far easier to find and ultimately far easier to directly engage. They would have actually been easier by comparison to target and annihilate despite a still admittedly high chance. Atop of all this however, charging forrard would have too unintentionally denied the traitors their biggest assets. If the fighting was close enough to the four principal legions, they would have been unwilling to use their more than powerful long range weapons cheers to the take a chance of friendly burn. Dissimilar what Anarchy would become, they did show they weren't quite willing to go to the same lengths of disregarding the lives of their own forces, and any primarch who did suffer casualties would likely also harbor a grudge. This is also only accounting for traditional weapons still, and we do know far more powerful ones were present. Fulgrim, afterward all, noted a mushroom cloud billowing upwardly from Vulkan's last known position.

Finally, win or lose, gathered at the fortress they would take been in a far stronger position to try and withdraw when the betrayal was commenced. A location where they were all united, distanced from enemy forces and could do more to try and go on the skies clear. Casualties would have even so been staggeringly high even in this situation with drastic extractions, but they would accept stood a ameliorate chance and pulling it off.

Personally, I stand by the argument that the Drop Site Massacre was a no win scenario. The loyalists were dead the moment they entered the system and, short of spontaneously deciding to leave upon arrival, there's no ending here which would not have been a staggering blow against the Imperium. Three loyal legions would take still taken horrific casualties, half the legions would have turned traitor and the attack would non have ended the rebellion fully equally the Emperor hoped. Nevertheless, it's hard non to see how the long derided and criticised move by Ferrus might have meliorate benefited the Imperium than if things had played out every bit they did. Information technology's only one of those moments in the Heresy where a single decision would have led to consequences capable of utterly reshaping the galaxy. One and then minor that, in all other cases, it goes unremarked and ignored.

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