Which Chapter is the greatest of them all?

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Now, I know this blog is mainly for gaming stuff (Army lists, tactics, codices, etc.) but today let's talk a little about the fluff of 40k. Not just any fluff, Space Marine fluff. Not just any Space Marine fluff, but which chapter is ultimately head and shoulders above the rest. Let's talk about the well known chapters, the one's known throughout the Imperium and have arguably the longest histories: The Ultramarines, The Blood Angels, the Space Wolves, and the Dark Angels.

The Ultramarines.
This chapter has a long and quite honestly a very glorious history among the Imperium. During the siege of the imperial palace on earth, the Ultramarines Legion was in the galactic south combating the Word Bearers. As a result of this the Ultramarines Legion, which was by far the largest of all legions, remained relatively unscathed. After the Legion overall military command of the Imperium fell to Roboute Guilliman, Primarch of the Ultramarines to hold the Imperium together while their allies rearmed and resupplied. Holding the largest Legion and with a constant influx of recruits the Ultramarines, did just that, but even then were stretched thin.
Finally, years after the events of the Hour Heresy, Guilliman laid down the future organization of the Legions, breaking them down into 1000 man chapters, to ensure no one man held that power again. In short, Guilliman wrote the codex Astartes, a tome which is still in effect today in the Imperium. In more recent times the Ultramarines have taken to many glorious conflicts, the most notable being the destruction of the recently defeated Hive Fleet Behemoth. "If any force in the Imperium can defeat the Tyranid threat, it is the Space Marines. If any Space Marines can defeat the Tyranids, it is the Ultramarines." And so they did, but at a great cost to their Chapter and home world. The Chapter also is unique among the Space Marines, in that their Gene seed is Pure, and has never seen any mutations, and no Ultramarine has fallen to chaos.

The Blood Angels.
Like the Ultramarines, the Blood Angels have always been at the fore front of the defense of the Imperium. Their Primarch, Sanguinius, for my perspective has been made out to be the epitome of a noble warrior, making the final sacrifice of the Horus Heresy, giving his life so the Emperor could triumph over Horus. Because of this, the Blood Angels suffer from a flaw in their gene seed, that makes them relive Sanguinius's duel with Horus, turning them into mindless killers, with no thought of safety of hope.
It was the Blood Angels, along with the Imperial Fists and White Scars that were on Terra when the Traitor Legions struck. It was Sanguinius Along who held the Eternity gate, the gateway to the emperors thorne, when no other could, breaking the back of ten blood thirsters, and countless other daemons.
Rather than protect one area of space, like the Ultramarines, the Blood Angels fight across the Imperium, protecting innocents where ever they be. Because of their gene curse, the Blood Angels are the most humble of all the chapters. In battle they seek utmost perfection, striking hard and fast against their foes.
Their most notable campaign in recent years would be the second war for Armageddon, where the Blood Angels, Ultramarines and Salamanders fought along side the Armageddon Steel Legion to repulse the WAAGH! Ghazghkull. In this battle, Marenus Calgar, Master of the Ultramarines and Tu'Shan, Master of the Salamanders ceded all command over to the Master of the Blood Angels, Commander Dante. While the Ultramarines focused on fortifying the Hive cities defenses, and the Salamanders focused on protecting civilian and supply convoys, the Blood Angels focused on breaking the back of the orks, finally culminating in the chapter dropping into the midst of the ork force and causing thousands of casualties, breaking the orks.

The Space Wolves
The most savage and material fighters of the Space Marines, the Space wolves come from the death world of Fenris, bringing with them a fierce sense of pride, brotherhood, honor and material prowess. Even before the Codex Astartes was implemented the Space Wolves were fiercely independent and savage. Even in the 41st millennium, the Space Wolves stay true to the teachings of their own Primarch, Leman Russ, and refuse the Codex as much as they refuse any outside interference in running their Chapter. Where all other Chapters, there are to be 1000 marines, as laid down by the Codex Astartes, seeing that the Space Wolves ignore the Codex, rough estimates say there are about 2500 Space Wolves.
Leman Russ, like his own Legion was a warrior of fierce pride and great material prowess. During the crusade, the Wolves conquered world after world, much like their brother legions, crushing an and all resistance. One such world would leave to one of the greatest, oldest and well known rivalries in the Imperium, the rivalry of the Space Wolves and Dark Angels. During the conquest of one world, Russ swore to slay its leader after he was called the "Emperor's lapdog." Russ flew into a rage when Lion El'Jonson, Primarch of the Dark Angels Legion who were also fighting on this world, slew the leader in front of Russ. Enraged, Russ struck The Lion and the two fought for a day and a half, finally ending when The Lion knocked Russ unconscious after Russ saw the foolishness in the duel and began to laugh. To this day the two Chapters still re-enact that very same duel, and still have troubled relations.
In the 41t millennium the space wolves have taken part in one legendary conflicts: The first war for Armageddon. When a World Eaters space hulk crashes into the Hive world Armageddon, thousands of berzerker's and millions of daemons, the Steel Legion of Armageddon falters. Fortunately their call for help is answered in force by the Space Wolves, better still they are led by the Great Wolf(Chapter Master) Logan Grimnar, who re-invigorates the demoralized Steel Legion. Upon hearing of the magnitude of the Chaos invasion, Logan makes a request to the chamber militant of the Ordo Malleus, who answered in the form of 100 Grey Knight terminators teleporting into the heart of the chaos force and battling with the leader, The daemon Primarch of the World Eaters, Angron, and his retinue of ten Blood Thristers. Angron and his retinue are eventually banished back to the warp, only a handful of Grey Knights emerge from the battle, giving only a warriors hand shake to Logan before departing for another battlefield. The rest of the chaos forces were easy pickings for the Space Wolves.

the Dark Angels
Once the Dark Angels were proud and noble warriors, fighting with distinction during the Great Crusade, with their Primarch Lion El'Jonson at their head. But during the Horus Heresy, half the Dark Angels Legion, stationed on the Dark Angels homeworld to train the next generation of recruits, feeling abandoned by their Primarch turned to Chaos. As soon as the Dark Angels fleet came into orbit around their home world, the traitorous Legion fired upon them. The Lion lead his half of the Legion and attacked their fortress monastery, the tower of angels, battling his second in command, whom he had left in charge of training the next generation. Though The Lion was ultimately victorious, he and his second in command were badly wounded. The Chaos gods, knowing they failed again, sent a warp storm to destroy the planet. When the warp storm abated, only the tower of angels was left, protected by powerful void shields. Within the tower the Dark Angel found the second in command, mumbling about The Lion's return. Of the Lion, there was no sign.
The warp storm also caused those who had turned to chaos to be scattered through space and time, causing them to appear randomly around the Imperium. The Dark Angels are constantly on the look out for these "Fallen Angels" for they believe that through making every single fallen repent they can find redemption and that The Lion would return to lead them once more.
The Dark Angels also took part in stopping the 13th Black Crusade, the chapter masters of both the Dark Angels and Space Wolves putting aside their difference so that the Imperium could stand victorius.


There you go, from here make your decision: Which Chapter is the greatest of them all?