Dark Angels Organisation and Markings

Chapter field guide
Company structure, ranks and heraldry
A reference to the modern Dark Angels parent chapter: its companies, command roles, armour, badges and permitted heraldic variation. Here, compliant means consistent with the Dark Angels' documented traditions, including their departures from the generic Codex Astartes. It does not mean copying Ultramarines helmet colours or company-coloured shoulder rims.
Reviewed 21 October 2026. References distinguish established conventions, dated examples, author interpretation, and this army's approved variations. Game keywords and current datasheet eligibility are separate from lore membership and painted insignia.
Explore the collection
01
Ranks and specialist roles
officers, squad leaders, veterans, religious and technical offices.
02
Armour and squad markings
wearer-left/right placement, company devices, battlefield roles and squad numbers.
03
Deathwing membership and heraldry
Terminators, power-armoured veterans, Crux placement and attachments.
04
Ravenwing squadrons and heraldry
mixed cavalry formations, Black Knights, pilots and numbering conflicts.
05
Transfers and honours
what a decal identifies, what remains decorative, and campaign badges.
06
History and army variations
older schemes, successors, Ely's personal collection, and this army’s sergeant shields.
Companies at a glance
A company’s hundred line troops do not include every headquarters, vehicle, support institution or attached specialist. The chapter disposition combines material from several editions.
Specialist companies
Company 1
Deathwing
Specialist veteran company; includes Terminator and modern power-armoured veteran formations.
Company 2
Ravenwing
Mounted cavalry, speeders and dedicated aircraft, with its own veteran and command elements.
Battle companies · 6 / 2 / 2 squads
Company 3
The Unmerciful
Battle company: six battleline, two close-support, two fire-support squads.
Company 4
The Feared
Same battle-company role framework.
Company 5
The Unrelenting
Same battle-company role framework.
Reserve companies
Company 6
The Resolute
Reserve: ten battleline squads.
Company 7
The Unbowed
Reserve: ten battleline squads.
Company 8
The Wrathful
Reserve: ten close-support squads.
Company 9
The Remorseless
Reserve: ten fire-support squads.
Scouts & Vanguard
Company 10
The Redeemed
Scouts, Vanguard Marines and neophytes; its establishment does not translate into one fixed list of Scout kits.
A role establishment specifies duties, not one mandatory list of kits. Reserve troops, specialists and detachments can accompany another company's force without every model acquiring a new permanent company identity. See Space Marine company organization.
How to mark a new unit
Step 1
Identify its parent chapter and company, then the armour type and any specialist office.
Step 2
Use the formation's chapter or wing badge and the correct shoulder arrangement. Terminator shoulders reverse the usual chapter-badge side.
Step 3
Add company and squad identity where that formation uses them.
Step 4
Distinguish the officer or squad leader from veteran status and from honours earned.
Step 5
Add campaign or personal heraldry without treating an unexplained decorative symbol as a universal rank code.
Step 6
Add this army’s sergeant shield design, described on the history page.
Chart reconciliation
Reconciling our chapter chart
The original supplied chart and full transcription remain preserved as a reference. Its precise vehicle totals, named officers and X quantities do not establish a universal current muster. Its “Strikemaster Chaplains” line combines distinct offices; the sourced reading is two Strikemasters plus a separate Chaplain. The wing pages explain the differences in Deathwing totals and Ravenwing squadron counts.
Research and sources
Further reading: David Ely’s Dark Angels series
Shoulder Pads of the Dark Angels
Published
3 Mar 2021; updated 3 Oct 2026
Main use
Marking conventions, including recent updates and conflicting examples.
Dark Angels Apothecaries
Published
12 Mar 2021
Main use
Official colour variants versus the author's preference.
Why Black Became Green
Published
30 Apr 2021
Main use
Historical change and unconfirmed production anecdote.
Development from Rogue Trader
Published
4 May 2021
Main use
Publication timeline and older heraldry.
Successor Chapters
Published
27 Jan 2023
Main use
Successor Chapter colours and organisational differences.
His Fourth Company
Published
6 Apr 2023
Main use
Worked personal collection, rather than universal establishment.
Deathwing History and Complement
Published
14 Jun 2023; subsequently updated
Main use
Changing membership and company/keyword distinction.
Decals and Transfer Sheets
Published
24 Jan 2024; updated Feb 2024
Main use
Decal identification, honours and decorative freedom.
The Ravenwing
Published
4 Jul 2025
Main use
Cavalry and aircraft questions.
Painting Mistakes
Published
15 Sep 2026
Main use
Common marking conventions and disputed examples.
Ely’s articles interpret the published material; the relevant pages explain disagreements between sources. This army’s painting recipes contain its selected paints and methods.
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Collection overview · Our army scheme