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From Warhammer 40k - Lexicanum
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'''[[Transmachina Ocula]]''' are Guardsman who have been ordained as lay technicians in their [[Regiment]]s by the [[Adeptus Mechanicus]] and have been inducted into the Mechanicus' lesser mysteries.{{Fn|15}}
==Images==
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[[Image:ArmageddonGuardsman.jpg|thumb|right|Guardsman of the [[Armageddon Steel Legion]]s]]
{{IGHierarchy}}
'''Guardsman''' is the generic term for any member of the [[Imperial Guard]], regardless of rank,{{Fn|2a}} but is also synonymous with the [[Imperial Guard Hierarchy|lowest enlisted rank]] of '''Trooper'''.{{Fn|4}} There are untold billions upon billions of Guardsmen in service, such that even the [[Departmento Munitorum]] has no idea of the true number of Guardsmen in existence.{{Fn|1a}}{{Fn|3a}} It has been remarked that if the entirety of the Astra Militarum would form up into a column, it would stretch from [[Terra]] to [[Armageddon]].{{Fn|18}} Every year, trillions of new recruits are [[Tithe|tithed]] into the Guard.{{Fn|17}} These are normal men and women of the [[Imperium]], called upon to serve the [[God-Emperor of Mankind]] and protect His realm against all threats. That they do so against a [[galaxy]] full of [[Daemon|eldritch horrors]], foul [[xenos]] and other nameless terrors is a heroic testament to their courage.{{Fn|5a}}
== Recruitment and Training ==
The recruitment (or conscription) and training of each Guardsman is based entirely on the customs and traditions of their native homeworld, a result of the [[tithe]] imposed on each [[Planetary Governor]]. Just as there are a million worlds in the Imperium so too are there a million ways one can become a Guardsman; for many it is considered an honour to join the Guard, or at least a way to escape a wretched existence. The result are Guardsmen as wildly different from each other as possibly, from highly-trained professional soldiers to savage gang-fighters and medieval barbarians. If any additional training is required, especially among primitive recruits with little to no knowledge of how to work modern weapons of war, it will be given in transit to their initial deployment.{{Fn|1a}}{{Fn|3a}}{{Fn|5a}}{{Fn|6}}
== Role and Organization Organisation==
[[Image:T40k-2-soldier.jpg|right|100px|thumb|Guardsman{{Fn|22}}]]
Guardsmen fulfill fulfil every conceivable role within the Imperial Guard, from tank crewmen to [[Imperial Guard Sniper|snipers]], [[vox]]-operators to medics. As laid out in the [[Tactica Imperium]], the basic organisational unit most Guardsmen will fight under is the [[Imperial Guard Squad|squad]], a number of which will form into a [[Imperial Guard Platoon|platoon]]. Several platoons will make up a [[Imperial Guard Company|company]] which in turn make up a [[regiment]]. While such standards do exist, they are not uniformly followed for any number of reasons, leading to formations of different names, sizes and compositions.{{Fn|5c}}
==Variations==
=== Medics ===
'''Medics''' and [[Chiurgeon|Field Chiurgeons]] are Guardsmen trained to give medical treatment to wounded in the field in the heat of combat. They typically operate out of [[Company Command Squad]]s.{{Fn|5f}} Medics go by many different names, but all are trained in providing first response and frontline medical care to injured Guardsmen. They are also equally combat-capable and will fight shoulder-to-shoulder with their fellow squad-mates.{{Fn|9}}
[[Image:IGMedic.jpg|thumb|center|150px|Imperial Guard Field Chiurgeon]]
=== Standard Bearer ==='''Standard Bearers''' are Guardsmen who due to battlefield gallantry have been rewarded with the honor honour of holding the [[Company Standard (Guard)|Company]] or [[Regimental Standard]]. Typically operating out of [[Company Command Squad]]s, the Standard Bearer serves as a reminder for the rest of the Company to fight with duty and honor.{{Fn|5f}}
[[Image:IGStandard.jpg|thumb|center|120px|Imperial Guard Standard Bearer]]
=== Vox-Operator ===
'''Vox-Operators''' are Guardsmen who operate [[Vox]] communication systems in the field, allowing for improved communications and coordination between Company, Platoon, and Squad commands.{{Fn|5f}}
{{Gallery
|VoxOperator.jpg||Imperial Guard Vox-Operator
}}
===Transmachina Ocula===
=== Weapons Specialists ===
Some Guardsmen are given a variety of specialized weapons such as [[Plasma Gun]]s, [[Heavy Bolter]]s, [[Meltagun]]s, and [[Flamer]]s. They typically operate out of [[Heavy Weapons Squads]] or [[Special Weapons Squads]].{{Fn|5f}}
[[Image:IGPlasmagun.png|thumb|center|150px|Guardsmen with a [[Plasma Gun]] ]]
=== Hardened Veterans ===As regiments fight grueling gruelling campaigns that last for years on end, eventually they will shrink in size as the number of casualties rises. In many cases an entire company will be reduced to a single squad of the most battle-tested, hardcore Guardsmen blessed with the strength and will to survive the nightmarish battlefields of the [[M41|41st Millennium]]. These [[Hardened Veterans]] are experts in all aspects of warfare, from marksmanship to demolition work, and carry a variety of non-standard weapons and equipment. Some regiments may have whole companies of battle-born killers, having survived the grim realities of warfare relatively unscathed. In many cases however these [[Imperial Guard Squad#Veteran Squad|lone squads]] of hardened survivors will be attached to other regiments, often newly-formed ones, in the hope that their skills will be assimilated by their new parent unit. The [[Catachan Jungle Fighters]]
do not contain Hardened Veterans as elite troops, instead their standard soldiers are considered to be the equivalent, having grown up and survived on the galaxy's deadliest planet.{{Fn|5e}}{{Fn|11}}
<gallery heights="160px" widths="220px" mode="packed" caption="">
For some service in the Imperial Guard is a way to absolve them of even the most horrible of crimes.
[[Image:Penal Legion.jpg|thumb|center|150px|Penal Legion Conscripts]]
===Stormtroopers===
{{main|Stormtrooper}}
Storm Troopers, also known as '''Tempestus Scions''', are specially-trained Guardsmen used to perform various types of special operations.
[[Image:ScionMini.jpg|thumb|center|150px|A Stormtrooper]]
===Rough Riders===
{{main|Rough Rider}}
Rough Riders are Guardsmen deployed as cavalry troopers.
[[Image:Krieg Death Rider.jpg|thumb|center|150px|A [[Krieg]] Rough Rider]]
===Sharpshooter===
{{main|Sharpshooter}}
Sharpshooter are trained snipers of the Imperial Guard.
[[Image:CadianSniper.jpg|thumb|center|150px|A [[Cadian]] Sharpshooter]]
===Scouts===
{{main|Imperial Guard Scout}}
Scouts are used for reconnaissance and to lead troops through difficult terrain.
[[Image:CatachanScout.jpg|thumb|center|150px|A Imperial Guard Scout]]
===Engineer===
*{{Main|Combat Engineer}}
'''Combat Engineers''' are used by Imperial Guard [[Regiment]]s such as the [[Death Korps of Krieg]]. They specialize in tunnelling, counter-mining, and engineering operations.{{Fn|20}}
[[Image:KriegEngineer.jpg|thumb|center|150px|A [[Death Korps Engineer]]{{Fn|21}}]]
===Operator===
*{{main|Operator}}
Guardsmen can be personally handpicked by the Imperial [[Governor]] or [[Astra Militarum]] [[General]] to act as their bodyguards and accompany them into battle.{{Fn|23}}
[[Image:General Stubbs Retinue and Regimental Bodyguard.JPG|thumb|center|150px|Regimental Bodyguards accompanying [[Vance Stubbs]].{{Fn|23}}]]
===Conscripts===
{{main|Conscript}}
*[[Ohm]] - private of the Third Squadron ([[Sentinel]] operator) of the 2nd Armoured Reconnaissance Company of the [[Krieg 1st Armoured Regiment]]{{Fn|10}}
*[[Zworkyin]] - private of the Third Squadron ([[Sentinel]] operator) of the 2nd Armoured Reconnaissance Company of the [[Krieg 1st Armoured Regiment]]{{Fn|10}}
==Sources==
*1: [[Codex Imperialis (Background Book)]]:
**{{Endn|1a}}: pg. 26
**{{Endn|1b}}: pg. 28
*2: [[Codex: Imperial Guard (3rd Edition, 2nd Codex)]]
**{{Endn|2a}}: {{Cite This}}
*3: [[Warhammer 40,000 5th Edition Rulebook]]:
**{{Endn|3a}}: pg. 138
**{{Endn|3b}}: pg. 139
*{{Endn|4}}: [[Imperial Infantryman's Uplifting Primer]], pg. 31
*5: [[Codex: Imperial Guard (5th Edition)]]:
**{{Endn|5a}}: pg. 5
**{{Endn|5b}}: pg. 8
*{{Endn|22}}: [[Magic: The Gathering's Universes Beyond Warhammer 40,000]]
- ''Soldier Token''
*{{Endn|23}}: [[Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War - Soulstorm]] - Commander Screen: Honor Guard List
{{IGInfantry}}
