So the Imperium has the double headed eagle thing, and each chapter has its own chapter symbol, now I'm wondering if there is a symbol for the space marines as a whole (also, what about guard as a whole, do they have one too)?

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Uti possidetis, ita possideatis.
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An online epic force creator: Armyforge

The Astartes do not have an overarching symbol, AFAIK.

The Imperial Guard symbol is if I remember correctly, a skull with wings, similar to that seen on the IG Vehicle Accessory Sprue.

Which I won't bother linking to, as the picture on the site shows the back of that particular component.

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SG

Ghost's Paint Blog, where everything goes that isn't something else.

Yeah the SMs just have whatever their unit symbol is ... The Double Headed Eagle is pretty much for the Imperium, like a Soviet Red Star, German Maltese Cross, etc. ...

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Legion 4 "Cry Havoc, and let slip the Dogs of War !" ... "People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf."

The double headed eagle works for SM. Check out the SG Thunderhawk model. It has a big a*# Aquila emblazoned down the side of it.

Otherwise, each chapter having it's own symbol is enough - technically SMs get two symbols to fight under if you look at it that way.

Yeah, the Eagle is like the National insignia ... And the SM's insignia designates the unit.

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Legion 4 "Cry Havoc, and let slip the Dogs of War !" ... "People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf."

Are SMs part of the Imperial hierarchy? If so, who commands them? Or do they just do their own thing? Does an IG general outrank a chapter master?

I know nothing

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Uti possidetis, ita possideatis.
May your beer be laid under an enchantment of surpassing excellence for seven years!
An online epic force creator: Armyforge

The Space Marines are theoretically under the authority of the Adeptus Administratum, but in practice they have a lot of autonomy.

Nobody in the Imperial Guard has any permanent authority over any Space Marine. However, the reverse is also true. Since the Horus Heresy, Imperial Guard units have not been placed under the authority of Space Marine units on any permanent basis, so while a Space Marine commander could certainly expect a degree of deference from an Imperial Guard General, he would not have operational command of any Guardsmen unless a higher authority had placed him in command of a joint operation.

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"Good ale, the true and proper drink of Englishmen. He is not deserving of the name of Englishman who speaketh against ale, that is good ale."
- George Borrow

Yeah ... what Axel said !

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Legion 4 "Cry Havoc, and let slip the Dogs of War !" ... "People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf."

Also, there is a Space marine who sits as one of the 12 lords of Terra.I would assume he has alot to do with SM logistics etc.

Does anyone remmember a photo in Rouge Trader of an "Imperial" 40k Space Marine ? I don't have a copy anymore but I think the marine had White amour and I THINK a red eagle on one shoulder pad.It suggested that this was a Universal colour scheam for marines.

Doesn't the emperor do some kind of tele-commandering, presumably he'd be more in touch with his beloved marines than the boring old wehrmacht?

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Uti possidetis, ita possideatis.
May your beer be laid under an enchantment of surpassing excellence for seven years!
An online epic force creator: Armyforge

There's a whole host of basic information and background in an old 2nd ed book that came with the 40k boxed game called 'Codex Imperialis': easy to get hold of via ebay and well worth the read to answer all such questions...that said the 'Wargear' book that came with it i pretty good too.

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Yeah ... I think the Emperor is too busy doing other things to be bothering his commanders ...

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Legion 4 "Cry Havoc, and let slip the Dogs of War !" ... "People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf."