Backdagga Fleet

Emerging midway through the Great Purges like an ocean predator breaking the surface, the Backdagga Fleet was the third large and organisationally-capable ork fleet encountered by Imperial Forces by the close of M37.782. The Backdagga Fleet rivalled the Morkers of Dogrok and Stellar Wells Greens in size. Unlike the aforementioned, the Blackdagga Fleet was less a conglomeration of small independent groups, instead being a naval fleet as the Imperium might understand it. This was in no small part owing to the tight command of the fearsome – and paranoid – Warlord Throatslitta, who at the height of his influence, is believed to have commanded over two hundred vessels of cruiser displacement or higher. The size of the fleet did attract over a hundred independent tribes in their own ships and squadrons, lending the Backdaggas a similarity to a merchant navy.   The Imperial Ambitine Front Purges Fleet was ambushed by the Backdaggas in M37.782, in the so-called Battle of Woe, the largest fleet combat of the war. The orks tore through the fleet, wrecking at least a dozen Cruisers and their attendant escorts before Admiral d'Yrbium personally ordered the Milk of Pain to intercede – a bold, if foolhardy stroke now referred to in naval history classes as d'Yrbium's Gambit. With his flagship committed, the wavering line counterstruck in force to ensure the admiral's survival. As history records it, d'Yrbium survived, but lost the use of his left eye and arm. Throatslitta's fleet was, if anything, encouraged by the fleet's strong counterattack, and the two fleets were drawn into a protracted slugging match that favoured the orks.   It was fortunate that leading elements of the Grovsenor Front Purges Fleet were encountered by ork interdictor ships. Placed on the extreme flanks by the paranoid Throatslitta, reports from the interdictors reported that the Imperial fleet was much larger than was the case – the orks mistakenly assuming the Grovsenor ships were part of the Ambitine fleet. As a result, Throatslitta ordered his ships to break away, leaving the Ambitine fleet mauled and incapable of capitalising on their good fortune, let alone leading a pursuit. The Imperials' headlong movement into Orkspace had proven a terrible truth. Far from having broken the back of the orks, the Imperial fleets were only now encountering the true strength and extent of the greenskin menace.    Having slipped away, the Backdagga Fleet had captured or scuttled nearly three dozen Imperial craft – including the battleship Carmine Assassin. Their appearance in his fleet heralded one of the most sinister turns of the war – the increasing appearance of mercenary forces of the Arch-enemy, including renegade Astartes.  

Famous Craft of the Group

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Ork Armies of the Group

• Dread Dekapitatas – Named after the tribe's ritual beheading – and subsequent display – of their enemy.
• Filchaz – Wit ha peculiarly high ratio of gretchin to orks, the Filchaz quickly became infamous for battlefield looting.
• Morgof's Skinnaz – Warboss Morgof was a subservient lieutenant to Throatslitta himself.
• Snake-kuttters – Almost completely composed of Snakebite orks, the snake-kutters specialised in cavalry charges. Their mounts typically depended on what they could find on the planet they invaded, with the result that at least one baffled feral ogryn tribe ended up giving orks piggybacks into battle. What the opposing tribes made of this is not recorded.
• Nosebleeda's Narks – Nosebleeda was Throatslitta's 'favourite' weirdboy, owing to the psyker's ability to conjure and control daemons. Gaining a position of influence through this skill, Nosebleeda was quickly surrounded by enough sycophantic orks and madboyz to form his own small tribe. They were marked out by outlandish clothing and heavy use of bells as decorations. An assassination attempt was made on Nosebleeda late in the war.
• Sumteef's Klan – A Bad Moon general of some ability, Sumteef's armies were equipped almost universally with primitive void-capable armour, making them infamously successful at boarding naval vessels.

 

Mercenary Armies of the Group

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