181st Imperial Fighter Wing

"This is the 181st, there is no 'next time'!"

- Soontir Fel

The 181st Imperial Fighter Group was the elite unit of Imperial TIE pilots made famous by Soontir Fel during the waning years of the Galactic Empire.

The "One-Eighty-Worst"
When Fel was first assigned to the 181st, it was commanded by Colonel Evir Derricote, and had an extremely poor reputation as the "One-Eighty-Worst"; the unit was filled with dysfunctional washouts, or Imperial pilots who had incurred the wrath of political enemies, such as Fel had done. The 181st itself was a lackluster unit with discipline lax and morale wanting, as the pilots simply were kept waiting until they were given an impossible mission which would result in certain death.

The unit under Soontir Fel
"I know my duty. I will do it."

- Soontir Fel

Fel, given command of the second squadron of the 181st, worked quickly to transform it into a proper military unit. On the same day as the Battle of Yavin, Fel led his squadron of the 181st to a decisive victory in the Second Battle of Ord Biniir. To draw attention away from the disaster at Yavin, the victory at Ord Biniir was heavily touted in the Imperial media. It was at this point that the 181st was downsized from a wing to a group, and in the process Fel used his expertise as an academy instructor to transform the group into the Empire's most elite starfighter unit.

The 181st participated in some of the most important battles of the Galactic Civil War, including the Battle of Hoth, the Battle of Derra IV, and the Battle of Endor. After Derra IV, Fel was made a baron and promoted to colonel, being given command over the 181st in a ceremony presided over by Emperor Palpatine himself. At the Battle of Endor, the 181st fought on until Captain Gilad Pellaeon ordered the retreat of the Imperial forces after the death of Emperor Palpatine.

Battle of Brentaal IV
"Your sacrifice will be feted on thousands of worlds."

- Ysanne Isard to Soontir Fel



Six months later the 181st fought against Rogue Squadron and Aggressor Wing during the Battle of Brentaal IV. The fledgling New Republic managed to defeat Imperial forces and take control of the planet Brentaal, using a fleet launched from Recopia. When Imperial Admiral Lon Isoto offered no direct resistance, Rogue Squadron took control of one of Brentaal's two moons, from which it planned to launch the liberation of Brentaal. The only serious resistance they encountered was from the 181st, who destroyed a large number of BTL Y-wing starfighters from Aggressor Wing and managed to shoot down some pilots from Rogue Squadron. The 181st, under the leadership of Fel, dealt the Alliance a heavy blow, and were able to hold the planet against the initial Rebel assault. However, the Rogues&mdash;with the assistance of Kapp Dendo&mdash;were able to force the 181st into retreat, and managed to capture Fel in the process. The Rebels would eventually force the Imperials from the planet, and gain control over Brentaal.

Impersonation and the Thrawn campaign
It was believed that this group aligned with Warlord Zsinj's fleet, although the exact reasons were not discovered until Admiral Rogriss revealed that the actual 181st was still an Imperial unit, under the command of Turr Phennir. Zsinj himself had created a duplicate 181st, with Tetran Cowall acting as Soontir Fel, in the hopes of drawing Rogue Squadron into a trap, with half the ships being droid-piloted bombs.

The real 181st had been assigned by Ysanne Isard to the command of the newly-returned Grand Admiral Thrawn. After the defeat of Thrawn, a number of the more disillusioned pilots of the 181st, such as Colonel Lorrir, joined up with various warlords and other breakaway Imperials, such as Prince-Admiral Delak Krennel and his holdings in the Ciutric Hegemony, or the ex-Moff Leonia Tavira and her pirate gang, the Invids.

Mission to Adumar
"Each day, the kill numbers of General Turr Phennir and his 181st Fighter Group pilots climbed."

- Narration of the 181st during the Mission to Adumar

The 181st Imperial Fighter Group and its leader, Turr Phennir, were present at the Battle of Adumar, as well as representing the Empire in the negotiations and short civil war preceding it. Phennir piloted a TIE/D Defender during the final space battle over Adumar, along with a flight of the 181st that were similarly equipped. His wingmen were destroyed by Red Flight (the representatives of the New Republic made up of Rogue Squadron members), and although Phennir's craft was damaged, he survived by retreating to the Star Destroyer Agonizer before it jumped out of the system.

Organization


The 181st was originally a full wing of 72 starfighters (six squadrons in total), but was downsized to a fighter group of 36 starfighters (three squadrons in total) shortly after the Battle of Yavin. One of these squadrons, which Fel led personally, was designated Saber Squadron; this was presumably the lead squadron, 1/181st.

Uniform and kit
After Hoth, the 181st was equipped with the newer and more advanced TIE/In starfighters; as a further sign of their elite status, the group's TIE Interceptors were distinguished by red stripes on their outer wings, a sign that the pilot had achieved ten or more kills. Likewise, the flight uniforms as well as the dress uniforms of the 181st featured similar red striping on the sides, further marking the unit's distinctiveness.

Appearances

 * X-wing Rogue Squadron 25: The Making of Baron Fel
 * Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back
 * Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi
 * X-wing Rogue Squadron: In the Empire's Service
 * X-wing: Wraith Squadron
 * X-wing: Iron Fist
 * X-wing: Solo Command
 * X-wing: Isard's Revenge
 * I, Jedi
 * X-wing: Starfighters of Adumar