Every company has its own Dreadnoughts; after being interred in the metal sarcophagus, it is customary for a fallen Space Marine to fall under the care and maintenance of the Chapter Armoury, but to remain a part of the company in which he served. Not only are these venerable and mighty warriors valuable battlefield assets for the devastation they can wreak upon the foe, but they are also the living embodiment of their company's history and traditions. Each Dreadnought has its battle honours inscribed into the very metal of its encasement by the Chapter's artificers to celebrate the many brave actions in which it took part. The Codex Astartes makes provision for every Space Marine Chapter to maintain its own combat-capable fleet. Indeed, some Chapters are entirely fleet-based, roaming the galaxy aboard armadas of voidcraft that between them serve the same functions as other Chapters' fortress-monasteries. Aggressor Squad • Desolation Squad • Devastator Squad • Hellblaster Squad • Eradicator Squad • Eliminator Squad • Infernus Squad • Centurion Devastator Squad

A Chapter's other armoured vehicles form a pool, maintained by the Armoury, that company captains can draw upon. Many companies also include a number of Dreadnoughts of different patterns, including the Primaris Marines' Redemptor Dreadnought. A Pre-Heresy VII Legion Tactical Squad Marine in Unification Wars-era livery, wearing an early variant of Mark II Crusade Pattern Power Armour; the eagle and lightning flash device called the Raptor Imperialis on the left shoulder pauldron makes it likely the warrior was a veteran of the very first wave of Imperial Compliance actions fought beyond the Sol System; of particular note is the use of yellow heraldry on several segments of the Legionary's armour; limited to the right arm and shoulder, this dates the Legionary's original induction to just after the Fall of Roma. These superhuman troops dominated the final days of the Wars of Unification, easily defeating all their Terran opponents and forcing those among the Tech-priests of Mars who had intervened in the conflict on Terra to delay the Emperor's victory to sue for peace. Returning to the fold with the same Enhancements, Stratagems, and Combat Doctrines Detachment ability you know and love, the Gladius Task Force remains an adaptable, take-all-comers army which supports any kind of unit. The Armour of Contempt Stratagem is now found across all seven Space Marine Detachments – it’s the Space Marines signature.Veteran Marines ( Sternguard Veteran • Vanguard Veteran • Veteran Intercessor • Veteran Assault Intercessor • Bladeguard Veteran) • Terminator Squad • Terminator Assault Squad A list of the most notable and well-known Chapters in the Imperium can be found here. This number has stayed relatively constant since the Second Founding in the 31st Millennium following the Horus Heresy when the First Founding Space Marine Legions were broken up. Many Space Marine Chapters have a preferred method of planetstrike assault -- such as the Drop Pod and Land Speeder Skyhammer Orbital Strike Force favoured by the Raven Guard -- but much depends upon the situation and the forces at hand. He is protected by a suit of power armour, shielding him from the fiercest of enemy fire whilst simultaneously strengthening his blows and allowing him to survive the most hostile of environments. In addition, the most ancient vehicles may display mottos as well as honour badges and names; for their roll of battle victories is as illustrious as that of any breathing hero of the Chapter.

Only one of the original Space Marine Legions, the Space Wolves, has never been broken down into the ten companies decreed in the Codex Astartes. The Space Wolves continue to organise their forces into thirteen "Great Companies," different in organisation to those specified by the Codex.

First and Foremost

Furthermore, the Codex now allows for each Battle Company to be bolstered with additional squads reassigned from the Reserve Companies; the presence of these warriors can take a company's numbers temporarily above the traditional limit of 100 Astartes, lending them the additional strength to overcome especially challenging foes.

The small but elite forces of the Space Marines put a high value on the element of surprise. Sometimes this can be achieved through speed -- rapid strikes that deploy before a foe can counter. The primarchs wielded powers the like of which are not known in the Imperium today, yet they were lost to the Warp in an accident deep within the Emperor's gene-laboratories beneath the fortress that would become the Imperial Palace. They were were scattered, still in their gestation capsules, through the Immaterium to worlds across the galaxy by the will of the Dark Gods of Chaos. The Space Marines have a number of vehicles designed for besieging foes, such as Vindicators and Ironclad Dreadnoughts, that are ideal at bringing maximum firepower to bear against any fortress. There is no force in the Imperium that can exploit an enemy weakness more rapidly than the Adeptus Astartes.

Merchandise

When arriving by Thunderhawk or Stormraven, it is vital for the Space Marines to provide aerial support; Stormhawks keep the skies clear while Stormtalons make strafing runs to ensure the landing vehicles can deploy those inside. Battle honours were accumulated and the effect of each Legion's character worked upon them, so that as the Legions expanded to conquer the galaxy, storm cloud grey became granite, silver, viridian, sable, gold, ocean, ash or ice, and by the time of the Triumph of Ullanor, the "Grey Legions" of the Unification era were gone, lost to history. A Primaris Space Marine Intercessor of the Ultramarines Chapter in Mark X Tacticus Power Armour wielding a Mark II Cawl Pattern Bolt Rifle.