hh6节译:阿尔法军团斩首中队

The vast host assembled by Autilon Skorr for the assault on Mezoa consisted in the main of expendable militia forces and the massed heavy infantry of the Iron Warriors 114th Grand Battalion. The unique nature of the planet of Mezoa limited the deployment of heavy assets, and made the use of Titans impossible; leaving Skorr with few methods of eliminating the heavy fortifications and super-heavy tanks and automata the defenders had assembled. The use of orbital bombardment had to be limited, lest it fully collapse the crust of the volatile world and deny him a viable landing zone, or worse, destroy the factory and storage vaults of the forge-fanes themselves, and air support was limited by the heavy ash storms that commonly swept through the upper atmosphere of Mezoa.

为了进攻梅左阿铸造世界，奥帝隆 斯考尔集结起了一支庞大的部队，这些部队主要由可消耗的民兵辅助军力量和大量来自钢铁勇士第114大营重步兵组成。梅左阿星球星球独一无二的自然环境限制了重型装备的部署，也让使用泰坦变得不可能；这导致斯考尔只有极少数手段来消灭星球上重型要塞和防御者们集结起的超重型坦克与自动机兵。轨道轰炸的使用也受到限制，以免它彻底摧毁这个动荡世界的地壳，使部队无法找到一个可行的着陆点，更糟的是，无限制的轨道轰炸会摧毁锻造神殿中的工厂和仓库；而且由于猛烈的火山灰风暴经常席卷梅左阿的上层大气，空中支援也受到了限制。

To counteract this potential deficiency in his forces, Skorr stripped the various heavy anti-armour vehicles and weapons from the separate Alpha Legion companies under his command and assembled them into specialised 'decapitation' squadrons, mostly composed of Sicaran Venator tank destroyers, Vindicators and massed Rapier batteries. These squadrons were held as reserves, to be deployed where diversionary strikes by other, more expendable, formations had drawn out one of the defenders’ key assets and eliminate them before withdrawing once again. By means of this strategy, a number of precious Loyalist super-heavy tanks and Knights of the Hermetika met their ends for the use of a scant handful of Alpha Legion assets, although the losses among supporting elements of the Traitor auxiliary and Iron Warriors were far more grievous.

为了弥补麾下部队中潜在的缺陷，斯考尔从自己指挥下的各个阿尔法军团连队中抽调出了各种重型反装甲载具和武器，并将之集中到专门的“斩首”中队里，这些中队主要由西卡然猎手型坦克歼击车、维护者坦克和轻剑炮塔组成。这些中队是被用作预备队，当那些更容易被消耗掉的编队在某个区域发动转移敌方注意力的进攻，消耗掉防御者们的某项关键资源后，他们就会被部署到此地，并在再次撤退之前消灭敌人。通过这种战略，阿尔法军团只动用了少量的资源就摧毁了忠诚派许多珍贵的超重型坦克与赫尔梅提卡家族的骑士，但叛变辅助军和钢铁勇士的支援分队所遭受的损失要更为严重得多。

Battlegroup 'Dragonslayer'

“屠龙者”战斗群

Of particular note is the Decapitation squadron assembled for the destruction of the Salamanders super-heavy tank Dragon Eternal, designated as a primary objective for the Alpha Legion commanders due to both its potent firepower as well as its importance to the morale of the defenders. Battlegroup 'Dragonslayer' was composed of four Sicaran Venators, three Vindicators bearing laser destroyer arrays, twelve Rapier self-propelled gun platforms and three squadrons of Alpha Legion outriders acting as spotters and defensive skirmishers. Three full companies of the Iron Warriors 114th Grand Battalion and the Ekficax Taghmata of M'Pandex were thrown against the defenders to draw out the target, nearly 600 lives expended in a futile attack to spare the Alpha Legion excessive losses.

为摧毁火蜥蜴军团部队“永恒之龙”号超重型坦克而集结起的斩首中队尤其值得我们注意——由于其强大的火力以及对守军士气的重要性，这辆超重型坦克被阿尔法军团指挥官指定为主要目标。“屠龙者”战斗群包括四辆西卡然猎手型坦克歼击车、三辆安装了激光破坏者阵列的维护者坦克和十二台自驱式轻剑炮塔，以及作为侦查兵和护卫散兵的三支阿尔法军团先驱者中队。来自钢铁勇士第114大营的三个完整连队和来自M'Pandex铸造世界的艾克非卡斯机神禁卫军被派去袭击防御者，以引出目标。这次行动导致近六百人在一次徒劳的袭击中丧生——这样做的目的是避免阿尔法军团出现过度损失，

The Dragon Eternal made a quick appearance, anchoring the Loyalist defensive line, but Alpha Legion commanders held their ground until the attacking units were forced to withdraw, drawing the super-heavy tank out of its optimal defensive position. There they struck in full force, a barrage of heavy weapons fire from an ambush sufficient to mortally wound even a mighty Glaive pattern tank, yet its defiant crew were still able to withdraw. The Alpha Legion commanders then issued orders for a second wave assault to cover their advance, delivering a second volley at the wounded behemoth that left it as a burning hulk.

永恒之龙号很快现身，牢牢守住忠诚派的防线，但阿尔法军团指挥官坚守阵地，直到攻击部队被迫撤退，超重型坦克被从最佳的防御位置吸引出来。此刻，他们全力进攻，伏击起来的斩首中队发射出了一阵重武器弹幕，火力凶猛到甚至能对强大的飞刃型坦克造成致命伤，但不屈不挠的车组成员们仍能驾驶坦克撤退。阿尔法军团指挥官之后下令发动第二波进攻以掩护他们的前进，斩首中队对这只受伤的巨兽进行了第二轮齐射，使之变成了一堆熊熊燃烧的残骸。