Strike on Yavin 4

"It wasn't the best thought out plan, but we were cut off from our leaders, tired, and operating on instinct. If not for our training, we probably would've never gotten past their orbital defenses."

- Unidentified 501st Legion stormtrooper

The Fourth Battle of Yavin 4 was one of the final Battles of Yavin 4 in which the 501st Legion retaliated for the destruction of the first Death Star.

Prelude
"When the Death Star was destroyed, about half of the 501st Legion was still in the hangar getting to their ships. Of those who made it out, another third were caught in the explosion. I'd fought with some of those men for over twenty years. Afterwards, those of us that survived hooked up with a nearby Imperial fleet making a retaliatory strike on the Rebel's base on Yavin IV."

- Unidentified 501st Legion stormtrooper

A detachment of the 501st emerged from the blockade of Immobilizer 418 cruisers, consisting of one Star Destroyer and two escort Victory II-class frigates. A number of Rebels had discovered a path through the blockade, and gathered together in a convoy of starships to rip through the blockade with a hyperspace jump.

The battle
"Frankly, I don't remember much of the fighting. I guess we won."

- Unidentified 501st Legion stormtrooper

The pilots of the 501st quickly discovered that a large rebel force was on board several GR-75 medium transports. However, TIE Bombers swarmed the transports and quickly took them down. The next main target was the Mon Calamari Star Cruiser. Before they could attack, however, starfighters were being torn to shreds by Corellian Corvettes. Despite this, bombers managed to surround and destroy the Corvettes.

With the odds turned against them, the rebel fleet chose a daring strategy. They would hyperspace straight through the Imperial Star Destroyer. To deflect any attacks, starfighters were launched against the imperial forces. They were quickly cut down.

An assault on a Mon Calamari Star Cruiser commenced. The 501st pilots destroyed the heavy turbolasers, clearing the way for the Victory II frigates to barrage the hull. The bombers destroyed the engines and immobilized the starship, stopping the hyperspace jump and leaving the cruiser clear for capture.

Afterwords followed a ground assault. A Sentinel-class landing craft landed on the moon and 501st forces chose to attack a Rebel hangar base inside a Massassi Temple. They secured the fountain and viaduct. Fighting through a heavy rebel force, including AAC-1 hovertanks, they next captured the reflecting pool.

The rebel forces, who had been caught off guard by the sudden attack, managed to regroup and begin a counterattack. Closing a blast door over the hanger behind them, a massive force of infantry and armor attacked the reflecting pool. However, the imperials, despite high casualties, managed to stop the attack in its tracks.

Before they could attack the main temple, they would have to break through the door A squad of Imperial engineers deployed a bomb to the hangar door, blowing it open. The Imperials then stormed the temple and went into an all out brawl with the remaining rebels. Using this as a distraction, a squad of stormtroopers entered a small command room and killed the Bothan High Command.

Aftermath
"After the battle, the surviving members of the 501st finally caught their breath. The Empire had taken the Rebel's best shot and come up standing. Now it was our turn to strike."

- Unidentified 501st Legion stormtrooper

After killing the High Command, the 501st Legion evacuated back to the Imperial fleet in orbit to move to other battlefronts.

Behind the scenes
This is another presentation of the events prior to the Evacuation of Yavin from the video game Star Wars: Battlefront II.

Appearances

 * Star Wars: Battlefront II