Armageddon

Armageddon is a Hive World in the Imperium, and has been the site of some of the largest wars in the Imperium's history.

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First War of Armageddon

The first war fought for the planet is perhaps the least known, and probably for good reason. Cultists worshipping the Chaos god Khorne broke out in rebellion during a Warp storm. Soon, a great Space Hulk appeared over the planet, containing none other than Angron, the Daemon Primarch of the World Eaters.

The daemonic legions quickly pushed the defenders back in an orgy of bloodshed, until help arrived in the form of the Space Wolves and the Grey Knights.

With the Wolves bolstering the defenses, the Grey Knights fought through to the center of the Daemonic horde, eventually banishing Angron and his army from the material world, leaving the cultists to be crushed by the Imperial counterattack.

But one final tragedy was to strike the planet. In order to preserve the secret of the Daemon Primarch, the entire population of Armageddon, as well as all the surviving soldiers, was rounded up, sterilized, and sentenced to work camps for the rest of their lives while a new population was brought to re-settle the planet. Logan Grimnar, the Great Wolf of the Space Wolves, has never forgiven the Administratum for carrying out such a betrayal of the men and women who fought for their world.

The events of the First Armageddon War are told in Chaos Attack, and expansion game for Battle of Armageddon (see below).

Second War for Armageddon

The Second War for Armageddon was by a massive force of Orks in 941.M41 led by the mighty Warboss Ghazkull Mag Uruk Thraka. The Overlord of the planet, Herman von Strab, was completely unprepared for the attack, and his own pride and incompetence only made matters worse. Eventually, the defense of the planet was taken over by Commander Dante of the Blood Angels. During the war, an Imperial Commissar named Yarrick, who had been exiled by Von Strab to Hades Hive, led a heroic defense of the hive that eventually distracted Ghazkull, infuriating him enough to send more and more forces against Hades Hive. The battle escalated to such proportions that Ghazkull considered the fight a matter of personal pride, and took command of the forces assaulting Hades himself, blinding him to the other battles on the world. Although the hive eventually fell, the distraction gave the Imperial forces enough time to mount a counterattack that finally broke the back of the Ork invasion force. Yarrick survived and would clash with Ghazkull again. Von Strab escaped from his jailers, and the Orks would come once more...

In 1992, Games Workshop released Battle for Armageddon, a board game detailing the events of the Second Armageddon War. Also the events of this war formed the main background for the Warhammer 40,000 second edition box set.

Third War for Armageddon

Fifty years after his first attempt, Ghazkull Thraka led a second Waaagh smashing into Armageddon. Commissar Yarrick and many of the heroes who fought for the planet before were called into battle again.

In 2000, Games Workshop held a worldwide campaign for Warhammer 40,000, Epic 40,000, and Battlefleet Gothic, where the results of battles could be sent in from all over the world. Each country or region corresponded to sector of the planet (for example, Great Britain represented Hive Infernus, while the area around Helsreach Hive was fought over in the United States). A Codex was also released for the campaign, which included army lists for the Armageddon Steel Legion, Ork Speed Freeks, and the Black Templars and Salamanders Space Marine chapters. In addition a Black Library novel called 'Battle for Armageddon' was written.

Aftermath

Although the 3rd Armageddon War is over (with the Imperium winning a narrow victory), fighting still continues on the planet. Ghazkull has left the planet, persued by Yarrick with a full Black Templars crusade at his back. The Orks have come to regard Armageddon as a kind of Valhalla, where they can always come to find a good fight, and the Imperium must still send more troops to battle to keep the planet in Imperial hands.

Related Links

• Games Workshop site for the 3rd Armageddon Worldwide Campaign Event. Includes free downloads for the Battle of Armageddon game and Chaos Attack Expansion.