Purging of Taral III
The Purging of Taral III was a battle that occurred during the Horus Heresy, when the Space Marines of the Salamanders' 87th Company arrived on the world of Taral III, garrisoned by the Word Bearers.[1]
Overview
In the wake of the Drop Site Massacre on Isstvan V, the badly damaged Salamanders vessel Blade of Fire crashed back into realspace on the fringes of the world of Taral III, which was occupied by the Word Bearers. The loyalists arrived to find the Word Bearers had turned the world to the Dark Gods and mobilized a large fanatical militia.[1]
Eager for vengeance, Captain Vareon of the Salamanders 87th Company quickly prepared a strike operation on the world. Equipped with eight Predator, six Vindicator, and ten Scorpius squadrons and a demi-company of Space Marines, Vareon made his landing at the outskirts of the capital of Garalt. It took only an hour for the loyalists to annihilate the militia at the orbital transportation hub here before consolidating their position. Interrogation of prisoners identified the location of the Word Bearers' command centre in Garalt, and Vareon ordered an immediate strike before the enemy could mobilise.[1]
Advancing in an armoured column, resistance was initially light along Garalt's highways as they easily pushed aside militia Leman Russ and Malcador tanks. As the Salamanders advanced further into the city, however, the streets grew tighter and resistance became more fierce. Vareon used his Vindicators to bring down structures used as enemy strongholds, but soon enough at crossroads 42-18 the Word Bearers joined the battle. Utilising heavy weapons and ambush tactics, the Word Bearers quickly destroyed multiple Salamanders vehicles as militia swarmed their position. Vareon, his own vehicle now ablaze, signalled a retreat back to their beachhead. Five of his six Vindicators were lost.[1]
Using Tarantulas and Predators to defend their beachhead, Vareon recognized the need for mass saturation bombardment. His Scorpius tanks lacked this capability, but the Blade of Fire had experimental Whirlwind multiple missile launchers. Using his Techmarines to refit his Scorpius tanks to wield these new weapons, after three days the Salamanders made their assault with the first instance of Rhino Whirlwind tanks.[1]
Vareon ordered his force to advance again, with the Word Bearers and their militia taking up their same positions deep within Garalt. However, at the centre of the formation were 20 Whirlwinds, their launchers loaded with high-explosive and incendiary warheads. When they approached 42-18, Vareon ordered these machines to open up. In the subsequent bombardment, the Traitors were utterly annihilated as an entire district of the cityscape ahead of them was reduced to flame and ruin. With the Traitor defences broken, the Salamanders now advanced into the apocalypse and mopped up the survivors.[1]
Shortly after their victory at Garalt, a relief force from the 689th Expeditionary Fleet summoned by the Blade of Fire arrived. Vareon handed over final pacification of the world to Imperial Army and Solar Auxilia before departing to Nocturne. Taral III would be the site of battles throughout the Heresy, but the Salamanders' victory would echoed on throughout history.[1]
See also
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