Concept: Krieg Engineering Company
This has been something rattling around in my head for a while, and I made this comment on another post, but I feel like it's worthy of its own post/discussion.
So what I love about DKoK is that they have their own cannon Engineering Korps, and I've been thinking up ways to make an engineer-centric army and how to make it work.
A Krieg Engineer 'Army' would likely be more of a company-sized force (like the scenario is they they have been tasked with building a base somewhere and have been ambushed or attacked.) In practice, they would be like a Snapping Turtle: slow and cumberaome in movement, but very difficult to eliminate at longer range and a bloody nightmare to square off with if they close the range.
Defensively, they naturally would have some kind of enhanced fortification booster (because, well, engineers.) Between their obsession with concrete, their penchant for digging and tunneling, and them being engineers I general, I would imagine that once they were dug in, even the Iron Warriors would have a mess of a time trying to dislodge them from a position (we know that the Necrons failed to do so...). Of course, they would still take casualties, but that's just how the IG is in general, right?
Offensively, they would lack the long range firepower of the line corps (and especially the artillery), perhaps only having a couple mortars and heavy weapons, but their primary infantry unit is armed with shotguns, Melta charges, grenades, and demolition charges, to say nothing of Melta guns, which would tell me that once within a certain distance, any foe would have a...very eventful time trying to fight them.
When they do have to close the distance, they would of course have the Hades Breaching drill, but also some other special vehicles. I would imagine that the standard 5-man squad would have Access to plow-fitted centaurs (perhaps with a trailer to hold the more explode-y bits of equipment) and maybe a special type of Chimera (or perhaps one of those new half-tracks) for the 10-man squads. The Centaur would be armed with the standard Pintle-mounted stubber and maybe a Melta gun.
For heavier vehicles, the Siege of Vraks rulebooks mention Atlas Excavators (which I picture as Atlas recovery vehicles fitted with a dozer blade and replacing the crane with an excavator arm.) these would still have a bolter (or maybe a Melta Gun) in the bow, and perhaps a stubber in the cupola. Nothing that's going to snipe a tank at range, but armored enough to proved mobile cover as they advance!
Between these excavation-themed vehicles and the sheer amount of HE and equipment that the infantry carry, I feel that a cool feature of this army would be that they can just...remove terrain as they need to. Small rock formations blocking the path of offense? Not anymore. Bunker choking things off? Clear it with gas grenades, then let the Hades and Excavators literally demolish it!
They would possibly still have some standard line infantry (to occupy constructed positions until the full army occupied them) and maybe a couple of lighter mortars and heavy bolters for general fire support, but they wouldn't have the heavier guns of a full siege army.
When the Engineers face off against Heavier enemies like Chaos Astartes, their Krak Grenades, Melta Bombs/guns, and demo charges would likely carry the day (of course they would take heavy casualties), but perhaps their shotguns could be used to cause additional shenanigans (I would imagune that the eye ports of an Astartes helmet would be...somewhat allergic to flechette rounds...)
I built this idea off of the various Imperial Armor books (volumes 5-7 Siege of Vraks, Vol 12, etc) which covers the engineer squads...
What does the community think? I'm actually scratch-building an Engineer Centaur presently as well as a potential Atlas excavator...