Irondrakes

"Down in the mines, that can be dangerous work. Not as dangerous as it used to be, mind, but then thats why our ancestors formed the Irondrakes"

- Durgrim Redmane, Longbeard

Dwarf Irondrakes are those Dwarfs within an Ironbreaker regiment whom are trained and equipped with the deadly fire-spewing Drakegun, a powerful technological weapon that showers enemy units with a wave of white-hot alchemic fire. The creation of the Drakegun came about when the bitter underground wars that the Dwarfs fought daily have begun to evolve into a new level of intensity, as their enemies begun to invent newer and diabolical ways to break a strongholds formidable defenses. However, the Dwarfs stout defiance, powerful rune-weapons and armor and their will of arms have turned back the dark tide time and again. Beaten yet unbroken, their enemies have adapted, and in response to the heavily-armored Ironbreakers, the Skavens have deployed teams of Warp-fire Throwers or Globadiers as a countermeasure, whilst the Night Goblins send in mobs of Fanatics or Trolls to punch a whole in the Dwarfen lines. For the Dwarfs, this war of attrition is costing far too much lives to continue.

In response, the Dwarf Engineers of Zhufbar invented an new weapon that can deter these countermeasures with blazing efficency. The Drakegun was one such invention, a weapon so powerful that once it is fired, the entire tunnelway will be light with alchemic fire that will burn for many hours later. Such a weapon allowed the Ironbreakers to cut-off key positions within the tunnels beneath a Hold from a much-more superior threat such as an onrushing charge of enraged Mangler Squigs. Ironbraekers who showed an aptitude with the Drakegun were further trained and formed into new units. When first used, even the Gromril armor of the Ironbreakers struggled to protect the user against the intense heat generated by the weapon. In response, Runesmiths have begun to imbued new armored suits with Runes of Protection against extreme heat, enabling these Ironbreakers to endure the heat of their own weapons and those Warp-fire Throwers sent by the Skavens.

In combat, when confronted by a foe capable of breaking through a wall of Ironbreakers, a new fighting tactic has been developed. Ironbreakers would open ranks to allow the Ironbrakes to file past. WIth well-drilled precision and the barking orders of an Ironwarden, the darkness of the tunnels is soon illuminated by molten fireblast. The stalwart Dwarfs blaze away as attackers fall by the dozens, their crumpled bodies still smoking with fist-sized holes burning through their flesh. The Irondrakes have proven so effective that their services are pressed into action wherever a throng may fight.

Source

 * Warhammer Armies: Dwarfs (8th Edition) -- pg. 43