What rank of Commisar and marine cos I think that a normal Commisar would answer to a tactical marine upwards but a colonel-commisar would maybe order a sergeant downwards around.

 

I would have thought, logically speaking, that an enhanced super human would have the power over a normal human?

 

in the traitors hand it says that cain was working with a marine chapter and it was purely liason not command of any kind.

 

Neither would have to answer to the other, as they fall under different command structures. That is to say that commisars order imperial guard around, but they have no authority over Adeptus Astartes. They operate in seperate command structures, SMs answer to SM commanders, Commisars answer to the Commissariat and IG High Command, and neither would take orders from the other in normal circumstances. If a squad of space marines was ordered to work with an imperial guard regiment, they might take their orders from a commissar lord, but only because they have orders to do so, the commissar still has no real authority over them.

 

My answer is, that none would answer to each other. Both are completly different parts of the Imperium, and while fighting, a co-operation would be present amongst them. Commissar's would command their forces, and Astartes theirs.

 

Technically commisars dont command anything at all. They are political officers that are there to ensure a regiments loyalty and that they obey the orders of their commanding officer. Its the regimental and guard commanders that issue the actual orders with the commisars enforcing imperial law.

 

Never the less, Commisars are often seen leading Imperial Guard forces in various circumstances.

I'd immagine that most the time most low/mid ranked Imperial officers would differ to Astartes in planning and manovours and such. More out of respect and such than official rank.

 

The codex astartes separates the two entities all together unless otherwise ordered I believe. So in other words I don't believe they would have any effect on the other. The only imperial officials that has the ability to assume command of a chapter or its assets is an imperial inquisitor or the high lords, possibly the Admininistratum but idk. The only officials that have complete and total authority over a marine is a high lord or a higher ranking marine of some sort. The inquisition has the ability to demand assistance, however chapters have been known to refuse….. aggressively I might add in the case of the space wolves, but not total control.

 

Well, it would all be situational. Although, in actuallity, the Comissar has no control over the Space Marines, if they were working together, the situation may be different. If say, a squad was working with an entire Imperial Guard regiment, with the Commissar in command(for one reason or another) then they would likely follow his order and battle plans. But if a Company or Chapter was working with an Imperial Guard regiment, then it would likely be the other way around.

As for the actual chain of command, as stated above, they are totally seperate and do not have superiority over the other.(Well, other then being a power-armoured, exceptionally trained, genetically altered killing machines totally devoted to chapter and Emperor.)

 

There is no situation where any Imperial Guard Officer or Commisar would order a Space Marine around. They don't have the remit or the authority to back it up.

 

Well that’s not entirely true. The marine could be placed under the authority of the commissar by his superior in the chapter. However, this would be extremely irregular.

 

The Commissar is not ment to command anyone. they are there to make sure that Imperial Officers remain loyal and obey commands. They would not command each other, Imperial Commanders have already recieved there orders from there generals.
Space Marines recieve orders from there Captains and Chapter masters.

 

It depends where you mean; the command tent where they plan strategy and tactics or out in the trenches.

In the command tent, they would probably have an equal hand in creating strategies and tactical appraisals, although the marine does have centuries of experience, compared to the decade or three of the commissar, so will probably come up with better ideas. Also note that most Commissars do not have a real command function, Gaunt is an exception, not the rule. Most Commissars just do what the local Colonel says.

In the trenches, unless the Commissar is stupid or insane, he would probably defer to the Marine. If 10 feet of blood-splattered power-armoured killing-machine with a pistol the size of your head and a sword taller than your chest said "Cover our flank" you'd probably cover his damn flank and not start debating the finer points of command structure with him.

 

In the trenches, unless the Commissar is stupid or insane, he would probably defer to the Marine. If 10 feet of blood-splattered power-armoured killing-machine with a pistol the size of your head and a sword taller than your chest said "Cover our flank" you'd probably cover his damn flank and not start debating the finer points of command structure with him.

Yeah, but think of how many Stupid and Insane Commissars you find in the fluff and fiction. I'm sure its crossed more than one writer's mind as they laughed maniacally.

 

I remember reading a book from BL (forgot its name) But it was to do with an interrigator chaplin and on the way back from selecting new recruits they get a distress signal from some Imperial guard. When the chaplin and a few marines dropped into the combat zone and had a brief chat with the imperial guard officer (not sure of his rank or position) He followed the orders of the Chaplin...

But then again if someone 3 times my height Jumped out of a spaceship bigger than some planets with a skull for a helmet was giving me orders I wouldnt think twice about it.

 

The difference is that the DE wasn't commanding fhe IG because of any authority given to him by the command structure. The guardsmen were being rescued. If someone is pulling your ass out of the fire you have probably proven you are ill-equipped for command and if that is not the case it is the DE's rescue mission so they would have command.