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From Warhammer 40k - Lexicanum
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The '''Tanith First''', officially the '''Tanith First Light Infantry'''{{Fn|5f}} but more commonly known as the '''Tanith First and Only''', was an [[Imperial Guard Regiment]] raised on the planet [[Tanith]] during the [[Sabbat Worlds Crusade]]. They were also colloquially known as '''"Gaunt's Ghosts"''', after their commanding officer, [[Colonel-Commissar]] [[Ibram Gaunt]].{{Fn|1a}}{{Fn|2b}}
Primarily light infantry, the name "Ghosts" referred to their superlative stealth and reconnaissance skills, but it was also a melancholy reminder of the fact that their homeworld, [[Tanith]], was destroyed by the forces of [[Chaos]] shortly after their initial Founding.{{Fn|1d}}{{Fn|2b}}
==Organisation==
Prior to their re-organisation into the 81st-1st Recon, the Tanith were divided into numbered [[Imperial Guard Platoon|platoons]] or "sections". Each of these platoons was led by a squad-section leader, usually a [[Sergeant (Imperial Guard)|sergeant]], though higher-ranking men like [[Colonel]] [[Colm Corbec|Corbec]] and [[Major]] [[Elim Rawne|Rawne]] had their own platoons as well. Each squad-leader had their own numerical call-sign, though this did not always match the number of their platoon. (For example, [[Agun Soric]]'s call-sign was 20 even though he was leader of five platoon.){{Fn|6}} This was possibly due to the fact that men kept their call-signs even after promotion, something Major Rawne disliked when he continued to be referred to as 'three' in battle even after he became the regiment's second-in-command after the death of Colonel Corbec.{{Fn|8}}
When the [[Tanith Regiments]] were consolidated into the First and Only, the regiment consisted of approximately 3,500 [[Guardsmen]].{{Fn|2b}} Following the [[Fortis Binary]] campaign, the regiment numbered 40 platoons, totalling roughly 2,000 men.{{Fn|1g}} After the influx of new [[Verghast]]ite recruits in the aftermath of the [[Siege of Vervunhive]], the regiment's numbers increased to roughly 2,500.{{Fn|4f}}
**{{Endn|5d}}: ''A Reappraisal of Combat Policy'', Section Three
**{{Endn|5e}}: ''A Reappraisal of Combat Policy'', Section Four
**{{Endn|5f}}: ''A Reappraisal of Combat Policy'', Section Five
**{{Endn|5x}}: {{Cite this}}
*{{Endn|6}}: [[Straight Silver (Novel)]]
