The Gravediggers

Fluff blurb copied from my initial blog post:

“Unlike the Primaris Invictor, the Spitfire is more of a vehicle than a big suit of armor, crewed by one of the Gravediggers’ chapter serfs. Off the battlefield, Spitfires are utilized for heavy labor and construction by the serfs, i.e. repairing buildings destroyed in battles on their home world, transporting supplies to the front lines, moving Digger Tanks (they’re not vehicles, but rather the way the chapter keeps their numbers up…don’t ask…) away from warzones, etc. As duty calls, they are outfitted with autocannons, heavy stubbers, grenade launchers, and heavy bolters for providing supporting fire to their Astartes comrades. They either accompany the tactical squads on foot, or can be dropped from the chapter’s aircraft alongside the Gasback Terminator squads for lightning assaults. When deployed alongside other mechanized units of the chapter, such as the “Vicker” class battle automata and “Cromwell” siege tanks, they overwhelm their foes in a tide of steel and bullet.

The view that the people of Dhune have towards Spitfire drivers varies from noble soldiers defending their home alongside the angels of death that are the Gravediggers, to suicidal lunatics strapping themselves into rattly death machines and blindly hurling themselves at the enemy. There is a bit of truth to this latter view, as the stripped-down frame, open cockpit, and engine that is prone to bursting into flames make Spitfires almost as much a death sentence as staying behind in an evacuated town, but there is also an understanding that a very brave (or stupid) person would risk their lives for the sake of Dhune.”