Warhammer 40K: Origins of the Death Korps of Kreig – PRIME
From traitors to zealots, the Death Korps are a fan favorite Imperial Regiment. But what are their real world origins?
When you think of the Imperial Guard, the first three regiments that probably come to mind are the Cadians, the Catachans, and the Death Korps of Kreig. With the new Kill Team box coming out pitting them against a force of Kommandos, Krieg is seeing a bit of a renaissance in the 40k universe, and hopefully they’ll see a larger release in the near future. But who are these gas-masked trench fighters, and what real world armies gave them their iconic look?
The 40K Lore
Kreig was at one time a prosperous world in the Segmentum Tempestus, boasting a robust manufacturing economy and billions of citizens under the control of a council of autocrats. However, as time went on, the autocrats grew debaucherous on the backs of their profits, and began to become jealous of their wealth and suspicious of outside influence. Before long, this translated to a mistrust of the Administratum of Terra, seeing them as usurpers trying to meddle in a planet that they viewed as their own. As a result, the High Autocrat declared himself independent from Imperial Rule, renounced the Emperor, and set up Kreig as an independent planet. Of course there were loyalists on the planet, and a terrible civil war ravaged the world for many years until a surviving commander decided if the Emperor couldn’t have the world, no one should, and unleashed a devastating nuclear salvo, scorching the planet with atomic fire. Over the next five centuries the surviving loyalists slowly retook the world, and the fatalistic Death Korps was born.
20th Century Origins
To discern the real-world influence of the Death Korp, we need only look at their standard kit.
The first obvious influence we can draw for the Korp is the Imperial German Army from World War I. The iconic gas mask, the wood stocked weapons, and the overall kit are all reminiscent of the Kaiser’s army. Also, the Korps are experts of trench warfare, which was heavily associated with World War I, and there’s no one better in the trenchs than the Korps.
However, the shape of their helmet and the color of their longcoats and it’s distinctive buttons also calls to mind the French army of the early 20th century. Specifically, the blue longcoat is part of the French winter garb kit, as well as the backpacks.
All that said, it’s perhaps more accurate to say that the Death Korp were inspired by the entirely of World War I more so than any single army, as the entire range with it’s emphasis on infantry, artillery, and even the exotic mining equipment echo the military technology themes of multiple sides of The War to End All Wars.
Will you by adding some Death Korp to your Imperial armies?
