4th Company, Howling Griffons Chapter

The Fourth Company of the Howling Griffons.

Notable Actions

143.M41: The Jorun Retaliation — En route to the Gothic War an Imperial Battlegroup, the 15th Heraklion Ironclads, turned on their Commissariat attachment and went renegade. Investigations into this turn of events uncovered the foul Xenos taint of Dark Eldar, who had managed to ensnare and corrupt General Jorun and his command structure. Jorun and his fleet raided planet after planet, enslaving whole populations for their masters. The full Howling Griffons chapter (about 8 Companies worth) was given command of the strike force, with support from the Ultramarines and Sons of Orar Chapters. Initial contact was made as the traitor forces were landing on Asturia. With no armour unloaded, it became a massacre, with over 5,000 Guard dying in an hour. The Howling Griffons' 4th Company, led by Chaplain Armand Titus, led the final strike on Jorun's forces, fighting through Jorun's Ogryn cadre as well as Dark Eldar troops. Titus delivered the killing blow to Jorun, while slowly succumbing to poisoned wounds and sealing the fate of the Heraklion Ironclads.^[1]

905-906.M41: Shortly before the Badab War the Howling Griffons Fourth Company, along with parts of their Sixth, Seventh, Tenth and First Companies, carried out a lengthy search and destroy campaign within the Caradryad Sector. It can be safely assumed that a large number of planetary assaults were carried out during this action as they were severely lacking in Thunderhawks and drop pods when answering the call for aid in the Badab War as they had not had the chance to return to Mancora.^[1]

906-909.M41: Badab War — The Howling Griffons, along with the Novamarines, responded to calls for aid. Having just finished a campaign in the Caradryad Sector, the Howling Griffons' task force was no more than 250 Space Marines and had insufficient planetary assault resources to aid in front line assaults. As a result, their initial engagements were to carry out garrison duties or convoy protection. Their largest deployment was to garrison the airless moons in the Khymara system, rebuilding old listening posts as staging areas for later in the war. Unfortunately this posting put them in the path of the Executioners in 907.M41^[3] who were coming to aid the Secessionists as part of their blood oath to Huron. The Howling Griffons were annihilated; after the Executioners withdrawal, the casualty rate was more than 70%, including the catastrophic loss of their strike cruiser, Augeias, and Chaplain Dreadnought Titus. Despite these losses, the remaining force continued to fight wherever they could until officially relieved in 909.M41.^[1]

Liberation of Vanqualis: Vanqualis was under attack by Orks. The Howling Griffons along with the 901st Penal Legion fought against the Orks.^[2a] Shortly after landing they turned on the Soul Drinkers chapter, believing them to be the bearers of a Chaos artefact, the Black Chalice.^[2b]

Armand Titus — In 143.M41 Chaplain Armand Titus, along with the Fourth Company, led the final assault against the renegade General Jorun and his forces during the Jorun Retaliation. Fighting his way through renegade guard, Ogryns and Dark Eldar he was wounded by xenos poisons; despite this he broke through to face General Jorun and delivered the Emperor's justice. Upon returning to Mancora Titus was encased in a dreadnought to continue his service to the Chapter. Titus continued to serve with the 4th Company throughout M41, including the campaign in the Caradryad system and into the Badab War. He was present on Khymara when the Executioners assaulted the moon base and was one of the large number of losses.^[1]