# Has any one ever worked out how Tanith First and Only are organized



## Lost_Starr22 (Mar 13, 2008)

I've been trying to put together a Ghost army but I've trying to figure out how they are organized, As from what I have read (Not finished all the books yet) there seems to be no clear cut organization. Of exactly how many company's make up the regiment and a break down of the number of platoons in each Company. Based on the original 2000 survivors That would place it at about 20 company's Is this correct? or did make 10 of these company's form a 2nd Battalion ?

Some clarity would be of help thanks


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## Tau Chaotix (Mar 1, 2008)

ghost army? as in gounts ghosts in dan abnett's books about tanith first any only and all that?

-Olek.


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## Lost_Starr22 (Mar 13, 2008)

yes that's correct, The organization has always seemed a bit vague. Seemed to be no correlation between squads, platoons and company's, they just seemed to be randomly thrown together.


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## Archangel (Dec 30, 2007)

It's 1 regiment (FIRST & ONLY), then I'm assuming it's about 10-15 companies.

When you get to "His Last Command" it's a bit clearer, they list SEVERAL platoons, some with number of men, you'll get an idea of it.

But also remember, he has quite a few oddball platoons, i.e. Brostin and his flamers, Mkolls scouts, Larkin's snipers, etc.


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## Tau Chaotix (Mar 1, 2008)

hahah, ive only read traitor general, and Brostin seemed a total pyromaniac!!!!

-Olek.


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## Tiberius (Dec 15, 2007)

If you have a copy of the IG codex they tell you on page 59


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## Jacobite (Jan 26, 2007)

This is just my interpreatation of it.

At the top you have Gaunt, he commands 1st Platoon.

Now a platoon is made up of about 40 -50 men I think. This is then split up into Fire Teams which would be about the same as a IG Squad in the game i.e. about 10 men.

Rank is not that big a deal within the Regiment. You have Gaunt who is obviously top dog. Then you have your Majors, Captains, Lieutenants (?) and Sergents. Now all these ranks command the same thing: a Platoon. The reason they have them is so that if Gaunt is taken out then they still have a structured line of command, i.e. Rawne takes over full command. If Rawne falls then it would go to whoever is next in Rank, either Kolea or Baskevyl. My money would be Baskevyl as he is actually a "trained" officer, whereas Kolea is a more a Combat Leader.

Fire Teams are commanded by a Corporal.

The way that Scouts, Flamer Troopers and Snipers operate is nothing special. I don't agree with Archangels veiw of them. As far as I know they simply operate as normal troopers with Platoons. Each Platoon would have several Snipers, Flame Troopers and Scouts. I think Mkoll may have a higher proportion of Scouts in his Platoon but thats about it. It certainly woouldn't be entirely composed of Scouts, I'd say probably a third of them at the very most. 

The number in the regiment is something which I'm not sure about, Wikipedia states that after Only In Death it is 1300 but to me that seems far to small to remain operationally viable, so I would put it at a bare minium of 2000.

Hope that helps and just remember that that is only my interpretation of it.


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## Lost_Starr22 (Mar 13, 2008)

I'm good with the idea of about 50 to a platoon, but how many platoons make up a company?, the Codex hints at 3 platoon's of 35 per company, call it a 100 guards man a company, Does this hold true with the Ghosts ? In game terms I would assume Mkoll scouts could be counted as a special weapons squad. with flamers being the special weapons choice in the infantry squads


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## Jacobite (Jan 26, 2007)

I'm not sure that the Ghosts even use Companys. I'd agree with you on the Special Weapons Squads and flamers are defintly the squad weapon of choice, and either a autocannon (representing a stubber) or a missile launcher for the heavy.


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## Lost_Starr22 (Mar 13, 2008)

For chain of command purposes their would need to be some kinda division of the platoons so every would know who to report too. Other wise it would result in communications overload. With everyone trying to report to the top the chain.
That's why I wondered about a 2nd Battalion, as its not unheard of for a regiment to have more than one battalion, using the number of 2000 Ghost's, which is quoted in the founding, that would make 100 (3 platoons)ghosts a company , 10 company's a Battalion. Through the course of the books i can see how it would be been reduced to the one battalion through attrition. Also the Idea of 2 Colonel's (Guant and Colbec) as most regiments with a single battalion would have the one and possible 2 Majors, with the usual mish mash of capt's and Lt's commanding Platoon's and Company's, Saying that it would not be unheard of to have RSM's commanding platoons


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## Archangel (Dec 30, 2007)

I just re-read the first book, at the founding there are "forty surviving platoons, a little over two thousand Ghosts". During Fortis Binary it mentions "Colbec's Company" at around one hundred and twenty, and "Gaunts Company" at two hundred thirty; I have a feeling these are just terms instead of saying "Gaunt's mob", etc.
Sergeant Blane's platoon "the seventh" (the one that gets wrecked by the Jant), numbers at 50. So every platoon appears to be equal, 40 platoons, 50 men per platoon = 2000 men.

As of the 1st and 2nd books:
1st Platoon = Corbec's Platoon
3rd Platoon = Rawne's Platoon
7th Platoon = Blane's Platoon
16th Platoon = Forlore's Platoon

Other notable platoon leaders during the 1st and 2nd books
Meryn
Mkoll, commander of the Scout Platoon
Curral
Lerod, the pious
Hasker
Varl


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## Jacobite (Jan 26, 2007)

Shouldn't first platoon be Gaunts and Corbecs be second?


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## Archangel (Dec 30, 2007)

I thought that too, but I'm not sure Gaunt has his own dedicated "platoon", he typically ends up running around with whoever's nearby. In Necropolis when he has to walk to the Veyveyr Gate it doesn't mention who's platoon he's with, but all the notable platoons are already fighting.

According to First-and-Only Mkoll has his own platoon, but he doesn't really stick with them ever. I'm assuming he trains them but then afterward each scout is given to another platoon to become the platoons scout i.e. Bonin is Domor's scout, Leyr is Rawne's scout, etc. Then when the platoons are all stuck together the scouts reconnoitre in pairs or groups forming a "scout squad".


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## Steel Rain (Jan 14, 2008)

By the IG codex, Gaunt is an independant Commissar. So he will join any platoon he wants. As far as the scouts, flamers, snipers thing, Mkoll doesn't necessarily "command" a platoon. It's more like he is the scout commander, so he will pull all the scouts from the platoons and brief them before a battle.


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## Lost_Starr22 (Mar 13, 2008)

From my understanding of Rank Structure I would agree that Gaunt would not be attached to any particular platoon or Company as his responsibility is the over all function of the regiment. The rank of Colonel is normally reserved to regimental/battalion commander. With the Ghost's having 2 Colonel's (Guant + Corbec) it seems a little top heavy for the one battalion especially with only one Major (Often 2 Majors responsible for half a Battalion each). I am good with the idea of the platoon structure and the idea of 120 guards to a company sounds right. In Game turns that would work out I guess 3 squads per platoon, with 3 platoons per company + command section would equal 110, then if you add on additional bodies such as a commisars priests, a scout (special weapon) squad, would easily bring it up to 120.


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