Deathwing Membership and Heraldry
Dark Angels reference collection
Deathwing: membership and command
The Deathwing is the Dark Angels’ 1st Company. Keep three ideas separate: assignment to that company, initiation into chapter secrets, and possession of a game keyword. They overlap, but neither a keyword nor the word “veteran” supplies a complete organizational identity. Deathwing overview
Which units belong?
| Formation or model | How to read it |
|---|---|
| Deathwing Terminators and Deathwing Knights | Core 1st-company formations; Knights are an elite within an already veteran company. |
| Bladeguard, Sternguard and Vanguard Veterans | Modern power-armoured veteran formations included in Deathwing-themed forces; older Terminator-only descriptions need their publication date attached. |
| Company Veterans | Veterans retained by an individual company, often in its command retinue. Their experience does not automatically transfer them to the 1st. |
| Inner Circle Companions | A distinct, mysterious bodyguard formation, rather than another name for ordinary Deathwing veterans. |
| Dreadnoughts and transports | Establish the vehicle’s company assignment separately from its Deathwing keyword. |
GW’s February 2024 army feature includes the three power-armoured veteran types and a Bladeguard Ancient, while explaining that its army selection follows keywords. Company Veterans are a separate company-level category. GW describes Inner Circle Companions as dark-armoured protectors of important Unforgiven leaders.
Officers and squad leaders
Belial, Grand Master of the Deathwing, commands the company. Strikemasters are its Lieutenants; Knight Masters lead individual Deathwing Knight squads. An Ancient bears the standard, a Champion has a protective duelling role, and an Apothecary performs medical duties. These appointments do not create additional steps between Sergeant, Lieutenant and Captain. Official Strikemaster and Command Squad descriptions, pp. 13–16; GW’s Knight Master explanation.
The June 2026 faction pack places Strikemasters and Deathwing Command Squads in Legends. That rules status does not abolish their documented offices. A Librarian or Interrogator-Chaplain accompanying the company also retains a specialist institutional role.
Markings and shoulder placement
Use the wearer’s left and right:
| Armour | Left shoulder | Right shoulder |
|---|---|---|
| Terminator | Crux Terminatus | Red Deathwing emblem with a broken sword |
| Power-armoured Deathwing veteran | Deathwing emblem | Crux Terminatus |
Ely’s armour-specific shoulder convention. Sculpted Knight imagery and personal heraldry allow further variation.
A squad’s heraldry is not automatically an officer-rank badge. No green shoulder edging is required for this army. The collection’s approved rank additions and rejected alternatives remain on our decisions and history page.
Reconciling the references
The supplied chart’s 30 Knights, 100 Terminators and 20 Land Raiders remain that image’s inventory, not a verified universal muster. Lexicanum’s chapter disposition instead records 20 Terminator squads and separates two Strikemasters from one Chaplain.
Ely’s Deathwing article usefully traces the Terminator-only convention and later expansion. Its 2023 dateline conceals subsequent updates; its preferences about Apothecary colours and company Chaplains should remain attributed interpretations. Read historical organization, current modelling conventions and game eligibility as separate evidence.