43rd Battalion

The 43rd Battalion, nicknamed Killer Aiwha, was a clone trooper unit in the Grand Army of the Republic during the Clone Wars, a conflict between the Galactic Republic and the Confederacy of Independent Systems. In 20.8 BBY, the 43rd participated in a battle on the former Republic-aligned planet Jabiim. However, the battalion was completely wiped out during the fight, and the battle ended with a crushing Republic defeat.

History
The 43rd Battalion was a clone trooper unit of the Grand Army of the Republic during the Clone Wars, a conflict fought between the Galactic Republic and the Confederacy of Independent Systems. The Battalion was nicknamed "Killer Aiwha" after a flying creature from the planet Kamino. In 20.8 BBY, the planet Jabiim seceded from the Galactic Republic, resulting in a task force being sent to reconquer the world. The 43rd was part of the Republic force and was stationed at an outpost called Shelter Base while other forces of the Grand Army moved against three Separatist holdings.

However, during the Republic offensive, the Separatist commander Alto Stratus launched a counterattack on the weakly defended Shelter Base. Covered by a night storm, the Separatist troops used hailfire droids to bombard Shelter Base. The attack cost the lives of thirty-two members of the 43rd, as well as three Jedi. The battle continued to rage for weeks, and the 43rd was completely wiped out during the fight. In the end, the Republic troops were forced to retreat from Jabiim after suffering enormous casualties.

Behind the scenes
The 43rd Battalion was first mentioned in Republic HoloNet News Core Edition 14:9:01, an in-universe HoloNet News issue published in Star Wars Insider 69 (2003). The issue was written by Pablo Hidalgo and served as a tie-in to the ongoing Battle of Jabiim comic arc published by Dark Horse Comics. The battalion later received an entry in The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia, published in 2008.