Commissar Lord Branko

Lord Commissar Branko

Lord Commissar Branko has exactly no-time for anyone's shit. Your unit's running away? Prepare to be shot. Along with the Commissar who was assigned to your platoon for letting such a trivial matter reach his level

Branko fought with the Cadian 83rd for many years as a commissar and has the scars to prove it. After being selected and trained as a Cadet Commissar he fought alongside his former class-mates in the field supervising numerous platoon officers and weeding out troublesome sergeants  After deposing a Platoon Commander who lost his faith while on assignment in the urban jungle of Northern Cadia, he successfully completed the late commanders mission and returned with an emboldened platoon of troops ready to follow him to the last. After appointing a new Platoon Commander from one of the more headstrong sergeants, he was entrusted with ensuring the platoon regained its composure and did not falter a second time.

His time spent with the unit honed his own leadership still further and after fighting against the odds and successfully leading more assignments than that of his peers and turning around a particularly bloody battle on a Necron world he was appointed to Commissar Captain by a mortally wounded Regimental Commander, and later Colonel-Commissar in order to lead the regiment who had come to respect him so.

Over the years tales of his victories and ambitious charges leading his men into battle became legends of single handed destruction of his enemies and world rousing speeches to buoy his troops morale. Passed down from commander to lieutenant, to sergeant and to guardsman, everyone knew of the stories. In some cases troops would claim to know someone who was there when it happened, whether it was true or not was lost to the ages.

Eventually, the Commissariat promoted Branko to the position of Lord Commissar, over seeing missions of up most importance and where possible, returning to his faithful 83rd Company to guide them as his own when victory can be the only outcome.

Notable Battles

Commissar Jacobsen

Commissar Jacobsen

Commissar Jacobsen has been with 83rd Mechanised Infantry since joining the Commissariat, he is noted for quickly developing a strong bond with his troops who in return garner unquestioned faith in his leadership. Having been attached to a number of commands, over seeing their morale and bolstering their loyalty to the Emperor, he has seen no need for a personal Chimera transport. This in his view would separate him from the guardsmen his inspires. However, when on the field of battle it becomes necessary to move from squad to squad efficiently and effectively to hold them in the face of adversity.

Embarking and disembarking from a Chimera is a time consuming exercise for what is in his case often a relatively short distance and offers the enemy a large target area, singling him out for sustained fire. Instead, Jacobsen commissioned a personal transport vehicle, offering him an elevated pedestal from which he can issue orders but at the same time keep a lower battlefield profile to the enemy than that offered by a tank.

Following his first appearance in his "battle-podium" troops began referring to Commissar Jacobsen, in private at least, as "Wheels". Upon overhearing this among his regular platoon assignment, Jacobsen decided while the term was not offensive it was not inline with Imperium rules regarding addressing an officer. Favouring the unit, the guardsman in question was spared the usual punishment of death and instead given the relatively light punishment of 10 lashes and a sound beating in order not to appear soft. Following this, Jacobsen adopted the name "Wheels" for his platoon only to use, so long as it was prefixed correctly.

Unlike many Commissars who brazenly stand in the way of fire and inspire courageous but perhaps foolhardy charges in the name of the Emperor, Jacobsen is known for biding his time, calculating how and when best to strike. Survival rates for platoons he has been assigned to are often improved during his tenure, although rarely are moments of glory retold as legend has the respect of his peers for his differing approach.