It is the Tidecasters who conjure the phantasmal sea that allows aelf and aquatic beast to move and breathe as if they were in their own natural environment.
The empyrically attuned minds of Primaris Psykers are steeled against the manifold dangers risked by unsanctioned wielders of the warp's power. These battle-trained psykers support the Astra Militarum's soldiers with eerie prognostication, wards against enemy witchcraft, and tempests of their own psychic might. Though rarely trusted by their peers, few generals would go to battle without a psyker's aid.
The ranks of the Astra Militarum feature countless regiments drawn from the planet of Cadia – or mustered in the gate world's fallen image. These born soldiers are held by many as the ideal Imperial troops – from freshly-conscripted cadets to seasoned Shock Troops and established Veterans, the regiments of Cadia fight through injury and hardship, laden with all the varied tools of war.
One of the most iconic pieces of hardware in US Military history, over 40,000 M3 half-tracks were produced during World War II with many thousands of similar models also being supplied to their allies.
Cadian Castellans are strategic senior officers, often formally ranked as Captains or Colonels. These authoritative leaders of the Astra Militarum's forces bear a panoply of armaments and insignia that mark their high office, wielding their array of weapons as skilfully as they command the countless soldiers beneath them.
Commissars are ruthless officers embedded throughout the Astra Militarum, charged with maintaining the morale, discipline, and loyalty of their regiment. With the power to summarily execute any soldier found wanting in their duties, they are feared, brooding figures. A Commissar's devotion to the Imperium is without doubt, and they fight with fanatical bravery – inspiring the same fervour in those who fall under their watchful gaze.
Few fighting forces rival the hard-won reputation of the US Marine Corps. Showing their mettle during the island-hopping campaigns in the Pacific, and then to pushing the enemy back to their homeland, the US Marine had few equals in WWII. Facing the deadly combination of the fanatical Japanese enemy and the sweltering jungle conditions in which they fought, the US Marine Corps triumphed in actions which have become legendary – Guadalcanal, Tarawa, Peleliu, Iwo Jima and more.
The M8 Greyhound was originally designed to replace the US military’s portee gun in an anti-tank role, but was quickly repurposed once it was realised that its performance against German armour was lacking. It found use as a popular and successful armoured car that served American and British armies well throughout the war.
During 1942, the British Army decided to keep their Stuarts away from tank-versus-tank combat and instead use them for reconnaissance. A number of Stuart variations arose, including the Stuart Recce, the Stuart Kangaroo and the Stuart Command. Making a conversion of these is easy with the new plastic Stuart. The Recce had the turret removed in order to achieve an improved speed and range, while the Kangaroo had been converted into an armoured personnel carrier.
This new versatile plastic kit can be assembled as either an M5 Stuart, M5A1 Stuart or an E7-7 Mechanised Flamethrower, and to boot is suitable for many a Bolt Action army, including US, British, Soviet and Chinese.
Based on the ubiquitous M5 Stuart light tank hull, the M8 75mm Howitzer Motor Carriage (HMC) provided much needed mobile artillery support to US assault forces. Replacing the M5 Stuart turret with a more spacious open-topped turret to house a short-barrelled M2 (and later the M3) 75mm howitzer and a mix of smoke and high explosive ammunition. A pintle-mounted .50 Cal heavy machine gun provided additional defensive firepower.
Actions that stir the blood and conjure images of highly-trained US paratroopers punching holes in the German lines in Normandy and later holding off overwhelming opposition in the Ardennes.