"Upon the seed of the Blood Angels lies the most ancient curse of mutation, a foulness that cannot be seen, which is covered by the grace, intelligence, and high achievements which are the proud boast of this most noble of Chapters. Yet the fire that burns behind the eyes of these sons of Sanguinius is bright with a thirst which only the blood of man can slake. Aye, it would be wise to but whisper the name that comes from times heavy with age and fear, a name which echoes in the march of the Blood Angels, the name of Vampire"
Codex Imperialis

General
The Blood Angels are one of the chapters created during the first founding. As they are a Space Marine chapter, they are a self-sufficient army with its own spacecraft and supplies, capable of responding in a moment to every threat to the Imperium. The Blood Angels had a Primarch which was called Sanguinius. He is one of the most important persons in the history of the human Imperium.

The Horus Heresy
During the Horus Heresy in which several Space Marine chapters converted to Chaos, the Space Marines and their Primarch were at the foremost front of the battle, partaking in the siege on earth itself. In the course of the last battle Sanguinius chanced upon Horus, the evil Chaos warlord. He immediately attacked him but was slain by the Demon Primarch. During his life, Sanguinius fought many battles at the side of the emperor.

After the Horus Heresy
The Heresy revealed some of the flaws which came into the Space Marins#e chapters mostly because of theChaos forces. Also then became apparent one of the major disadvantage of such big chapters: should they somehow be corrupted, the foe had with one move a gigantic fighting force at hand. Therefor after the battle over earth´s surface -which the Imperium won- the chapters of the first founding were split up into several smaller chapters with a specified size. This had not been so before, resulting in chapters of many thousands of warriors. After the splitting, each chapter was limited to ten companies of 100 men each. Still the chapters were self-sufficient with their own supplies and equipment.
The original Blood Angels chapter was split up into the Blood Angels, theAngels Encarmine, the Angels Sanguine and the Angels Vermilion.
In later foundings the chapters of the Fleshtearers and Blood Drinkers were created.

The Codex Astartes
How the splitting up had to be reorganized and how the new-founded chapters had to look is described in the Codex Astartes, written by Roboute Guilliman, Primarch of the Ultramarines. This work also descibes the organization and markings each chapter should use. The Blood Angels differ from other chapters both in the organization and markings. The organization is mainly following the Codex Astartes, but there are some differences: the Death Company exists only with the Blood Angels and their successors. The equipment of the companies varies in comparison to other chapters, i.e. the Blood Angels are more specialized for speed and close combat. The markings of the Blood Angels chapter are wholly different from the other chapters although because of a similar organization they follow the same structure.

"During the dark days of the Horus Heresy the Blood Angels Chapter of Space Marines found itself embattled upon Earth itself. The full force of Chaos was arrayed against them, and as the armies of Horus fought their way towards the centre of the Emperor´s Palace, all appeared lost. Yet, as the most lowly Adept of the multidinous offices of the Adeptus Terra knows, in the end the Earth was saved and Horus defeated, though at a terrible cost. The story of the Death Company of the Blood Angels is just one of the many echoes of those great events which still effect the Imperium today.

As the forces of Horus closed in around the Emperor the position seemed hopeless. The battle, and with it the fate of humanity, would be resolved within a matter of hours at the most. The outcome seemed no longer in any doubt, and the Emperor and the remnants of the loyal Space Marine Legions prepared for a final stand. They were doomed and humanity was condemned to eternal damnation in the hells of Chaos, yet they were determined to prove their defiance to the last. If Chaos must triumph, as it surely would, then it would do so only in the face of the greatest resistance.

The Blood Angels had fought long and hard since the bombardment began. They were already battle weary, but within them the human spirit burned as vigorously as ever. The winged Primarch Sanguinius seemed to be everywhere at once. Wherever the fighting was thickest he appeared, soaring over the battlefield abd swooping down upon the daemonic hordes below. Together with his Space Marines he had defied the might of Angron, the Chaos Primarch of Khorne, whose World Eater Chaos Space Marines had devastated a hundred human worlds. Yet the onslaught was too great, and the Blood Angels had been beaten back to the Ultimate Gate in the Emperor´s Palace.

As the Emperor and his Primarchs gathered for a final stand, Horus made the fatal mistake which cost him victory. To this day no-one can say why Horus chose to drop the defensive shields around his ship, allowing the Emperor to teleport aborad and destroy him.

According to all records of those troubled times the Emperor, Sanguinius, and a small force of Space Marines in Terminator armour boarded the Warmaster´s space fortress. The story has become part of the folk-myth of the Imperium, and is told a hundred different ways, but on the following details most versions agree. As they materialised the boarding party found themselves divided, and Sanguinius was positioned closest of all to Horus himself. It is said that the Warmaster offered Sanguinius a place beside him, a Princedom in Hell, and everlasting life as a minion of the Chaos Gods. For the last time in his life Sanguinius renounced Chaos and prepared for battle. Horus was once the most mighty of all the Primarchs. Now he bore heinous marks of his Chaos Masters. He was swollen with power, gigantic of size and distorted in his demonic form. Now he was more powerful than any mortal creature. For his part Sanguinius still bore the wounds of his battle on Earth. He had fought demons and survived, but against Horus he was as an insect to a hungry and gigantic monstrosity.

It was a short and bloody battle before the brazen throne of Horus. The blade of Sanguinius sang as it spun through the air, cutting and stabbing at theWarmaster. The armour of Horus bled where that blade touched it, for now the Warmaster and his armour were one. Horus did not endure this whirling dance long. He lashed out clumsily. Lightning claws arced through the air, catching upon bulkheads and doors, tearing great gashes and sending molten metal shrieking across the floor. Soaring over Horus´head, Sanguinius easily avoided his sluggish strokes, and eagerly sought out a weak spot in Horus´defences. As he flew he spotted a damaged link of armour on the Warmaster´s neck, and Sanguinius stabbed out with all his remaining strength. His blade lodged at once in the Warmaster´s armour. Horus screamed more with anger than with pain, and reached out to strike the winged Primarch. Steel talons dripping with plasmic energy closed upon the winged Angel of Baal.

According to some tale it was this wound that Sanguinius struck which opened a chink through the armour of Horus, enabling the Emperor to slay his enemy. The Blood Angels certainly say as much in their doctrine. They pray to Sanguinius as they do to the Emperor, for he remains their patron and guide in death as he once was in life. In any case, when the Emperor found the Warmaster it was as he stood over the broken body of Sanguinius, the Primarch´s wings twisted and feathers still at last. This sight convinced the Emperor there could be no salvatin for Horus. The rest of the tale has no direct bearing upon the Blood Angels and is well known. Suffice to say that the Emperor defeated Horus after a long and hard-fought battle in which the Emperor was himself mortally wounded, after which he was placed in the eternal stasis of the Golden Throne from which he has ruled the Imperium ever since."
Historica Imperium (WD 188)

Sanguinius
Here you´ll find pictures of Sanguinius, models of him and anything else I may stumble upon.

pics of Sanguinius in the diorama by Steven Smith, open category winner of the Golden Demon ´97

"The Inquisition and Administratum say we are weak because some of us have given into the black rage - they are fools! The black rage makes us strong, because we must resist its temptations every day of our lives or be forever damned!"
Blood Angels Chaplain Argastes

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