How were the Iron Hands devastated after Istvaan?

[Wyrmwood]

I think that Little Horus tells us a lot about potentially rogue space marines. It seems likely that at least some of the Iron Hands' companies will splinter from the main body of the legion, and seek out the traitors, linking up with other renegades, to lay ambushes and such - ala, Little Horus.

Also:

It's crippling. Complete decapitation. They basically lost the entire high command and all the officers in waiting. Which combined with what I can only imagine will be more losses to the Legion itself in the future of the series is probably part of why to this day the Iron Hands are divided into autonomous companies, effectively splintered warbands, not unlike the traitor legions.

[Chaos Undecided]

In The Primarchs story about The Lion when they encounter a contingent of Iron Hands he treats them as a somewhat unknown as to where their allegiances are without their Primarch, but then this is the Lion and he's somewhat infamous for not trusting others.

We've never really been told just how large the individual legions were other than the Ultramarines being by far the largest so without this its difficult to say just how many other chapters of Iron Hands were still around post Istvaan

[shadowhawk2008]

I think one of you or both got confused by your "Dorn especially is going to be involved in one way or another" remark there, assuming Dorn was going to oppose them somehow? Care to elaborate on that?

But in any case, it seems plausible we will learn more about what the Iron Hands did during heresy as the book series continues, there have not been really anything said about them other than losing the Primarch and veterans during Istvaan, and then contributing few chapters during the second founding after the war.

Look at how there wasn't much written about the Word Bearers before they played a big part in the novels now; essentially all we knew was that they joined with Horus and had already before that fallen in secret to chaos while feigning loyalty.

Malcador is building up strike teams a la Deathwatch and Grey Knights to combat the threat of the Traitors.

Dorn is building up legion forces themselves. He tries to recruit the Raven Guard in Deliverance Lost, asking Corax to stay on Terra and help prepare it for the coming Siege. He is also going to be sending out other agents to bring together some of the disparate legion forces scattered all over the galaxy. Leaderless ones like the Iron Hands and Salamanders in particular are prime material for consideration. Both Dorn and Malcador know what's coming and they want to prepare the defences as well as they can.

[Scalebug]

I think that Little Horus tells us a lot about potentially rogue space marines. It seems likely that at least some of the Iron Hands' companies will splinter from the main body of the legion, and seek out the traitors, linking up with other renegades, to lay ambushes and such - ala, Little Horus.

Hmmm... had to re-read that story (or, well, re-listen as I had on audio), but I think you have misunderstood it... The Iron Hands in there are not traitors or rouges, it is Little Horys Aximand who calls one "traitor" before killing him, and seeing them as "renegades", but it is from his point of view, seeing himself, his Legion and Primarchs as the true leaders of the Imperium, with the weak Emperor and his lojalists betraying the ideal of the crusade.

The Iron Hand commander has assembled a rag-tag force of surviving (or rather, those arriving to late to join in the drop on Istvaan, breaking off as they realised it was a trap) Iron Hands, Salamanders, Imperial Army and

White Scars

, operating without guidance or contact with Terra, but that by neccecity, and in any case fully within his rights as an Astartes commander.

[BooTMGSG]

likely they are rogue, but not rebels. With their comand structure gone, they are most likely become separated from Imperial command, but acting as partisans, killing whatevery traitor they can find, because... well the Traitors must pay!

[Chem-Dog]

Traitor Iron Hands???? Have I missed something along the way? When was there ever traitor Iron Hands during the Heresy?

Well, before the Horus Heresy books we didn't have loyalist Iron Warriors either. It's not unthinkable that legionaries of the loyalists could find themselves on Horus' side of the line.

likely they are rogue, but not rebels. With their comand structure gone, they are most likely become separated from Imperial command, but acting as partisans, killing whatevery traitor they can find, because... well the Traitors must pay!

Yeah, martial action without clearance from high-command would be enough to consider as going "rogue" by the strictest definition. If you're gathering your resources you want control of all of your warriors, small bands acting without sanction could foul things up or deprive you of manpower where you need it most.

[shadowhawk2008]

Which is where Dorn steps in :-)