The Cadian Shock Troopers are Regiments of the Astra Militarum originally from the fortress world of Cadia before its destruction. Located at the edge of the Eye of Terror, Cadia formed the first line of defence against Chaos incursions, such as the Black Crusades. Because of this, Cadia was one of the most strategically important planets in the Galaxy, and the entire population was militarised to some degree.
The Cadians are widely regarded as some of the best troops in the Imperium, short of the Space Marines themselves. Their reputation is so great that many other worlds base their own Imperial Guard regiments equipment, force organization, and methods of war upon those used by the Cadians.
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Though their home planet was utterly sundered, the resolve of the Cadians has not been broken. Veteran survivors of the last battle for Cadia, along with regiments of their kinsmen scattered across war zones throughout the galaxy, now fight even more doggedly against the enemies of the Imperium. Whole generations of Shock Troopers are born, raised and trained en route to war zones, and soldiers from other worlds with the mettle to withstand Cadian training are inducted into their ranks. The mantra ‘Cadia Stands’, which was oft repeated during the planet’s final violent days, has gained purchase within the officer corps and amongst the platoons. For Cadia does indeed stand, as long as a single Cadian soldier continues to fight.
Cadian Shock Troops are renowned across the Imperium for their discipline, reliability, and adaptability that has rendered them sought after by many commanders. Having been raised for battle, they see warfare as their natural state and their entire society revolves around military service. As they have been engaged in military deployment most of their lives and having served from end of the Imperium to the other, Cadians can draw upon an immense breadth of skills and are renowned for their tactical adaptability. This extends from close-quarters combat, to wars of attrition and trench warfare, to armored assaults, to static defensive warfare. The most gifted Cadian officers are able to utilize this accumulated knowledge to great effect, and many Cadian leaders have gone on to serve in high-ranking positions within the wider Imperial Guard.
Cadians are fanatical in their devotion to the Imperium, and will throw themselves into enemy fire without hesitation. Weakness of any type is spurned in Cadian society, refusal to serve is not accepted, and the people of Cadia see embracing hatred of the enemy as a necessary virtue in order to survive. Since the destruction of Cadia by the forces of Chaos, the Cadian Shock Troops have been engaged heavily in the remains of the Cadian Gate and Nachmund Gauntlet. They now seek to avenge their lost home, and in particular harbour a special hatred for the Black Legion.
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