Battle of Hoth

"My lord, the fleet has moved out of lightspeed. Com-scan has detected an energy field protecting an area of the sixth planet of the Hoth system. The field is strong enough to deflect any bombardment.''" "The Rebels are alerted to our presence. Admiral Ozzel came out of lightspeed too close to the system." "He...He felt surprise was wiser&mdash;" "He is as clumsy as he is stupid. General, prepare your troops for a surface attack." "''Yes, my Lord."

- General Maximillian Veers and Darth Vader

The Battle of Hoth was a historic confrontation between the Galactic Empire and the Rebel Alliance during the Galactic Civil War in which Imperial forces, led by the Dark Lord of the Sith Darth Vader, invaded the Rebellion's Echo Base on the ice planet Hoth. The overwhelming Imperial invasion forced the Rebels to abandon Hoth.

Prelude
Following the Rebel Alliance's major victory at Yavin, Imperial forces eventually forced the Rebellion to abandon their base on Yavin 4. The Rebel Alliance eventually took refuge on the uninhabited planet of Hoth, claiming it as their new base of operations whilst hoping to avoid the watchful eyes of the Empire.

The temporary respite was not to last for the Rebels, however, as the Empire sent out several probe droids to search for hidden Rebel bases throughout the Galaxy and one was sent to Hoth. Commander Luke Skywalker spotted the probe droid crash landing while on a recon mission with his Tauntaun, believing it to be a meteorite, but was attacked by a Wampa and dragged off into a cave before he could get a closer look. Han Solo eventually went off to successfully rescue Skywalker during a harsh snowstorm, in spite of the concern from his comrades.

Later, Solo and Chewbacca were tasked with investigating the lead that Skywalker came across, leading to their discovery of the existence of the probe droid. When they were spotted by it, Han attempted to destroy it, but it self-destructed. The crew of the Executor became aware that there was a Rebel base on Hoth after the destruction of the probe droid, and in spite of Admiral Kendel Ozzel's concern that the assailants were merely smugglers, Darth Vader instructed a fleet to invade the planet. With their location revealed, the wrath of the Empire would soon be unleashed upon the Rebellion.

Preparations
General Carlist Rieekan correctly surmised that the probe droid was sent from the Empire and ordered the immediate evacuation of Echo Base. Rieekan then ordered Rebel technicians to raise the shields of the base to its maximum power in order to minimize damage from orbital bombardment. Princess Leia Organa then instructs the Rebels to escape in groups and meet at a pre-specified rendezvous point.

When Darth Vader's fleet arrived in the Hoth system, he discovered that the Rebels were fully aware of the ambush that he had planned, which was not helped by Ozzel's Star Destroyer appearing out of Lightspeed to close to the system. Vader force-chokes Ozzel to death for poorly handling the situation and immediately promotes Captain Firmus Piett to the rank of Admiral, leaving him in charge with the invasion.

Imperial offensive
The first Star Destroyer was disabled by Echo Base's Ion Cannon, allowing the first transport and its fighter escort to safely escape. However, the Imperials still managed to land their forces on the surface at the Moorsh Moraine. The Imperial forces, composing of several AT-ATs, AT-STs and Snowtroopers, were led by General Maximillian Veers and quickly defeated the Rebel scouts at Echo Station 3-T-8, allowing them to continue to Echo Base.

Rebel ground forces attempted to hold the line against the Imperial walkers, but were met with little success due to the near-impervious armor that was utilized by the AT-ATs. However, Rogue Squadron, led by Luke Skywalker and Wedge Antilles, were able to utilize Snowspeeders to somewhat halt the march of the Imperials. Antilles, aided by his gunner Wes Janson, were able to inventively use their T-47's tow cables to topple an AT-AT before blowing it to smithereens in its weakened state. Unfortunately, Skywalker's own Snowspeeder was blasted by an AT-AT, killing his co-pilot Dak Ralter and leaving him stranded on the ground once his ship crashed and was subsequently crushed. Skywalker was able to attach himself to the nearby AT-AT and, by utilizing his hoist cable, his Lightsaber, and a Thermal Detonator, another AT-AT was brought to a screeching halt.

In spite of their valiant efforts, the Rebels were unable to hold the Imperials back. Many of the Rebel defense turrets in place to halt the Imperial forces were quickly destroyed, forcing the Rebel troops to retreat back to Echo Base. Upon reaching firing range of Echo Base's power generator, Veers was eventually able to destroy it, leaving Echo Base vulnerable to an orbital bombardment.

Infiltration of Echo Base
"Imperial troops have entered the base! Imperial troops have ent&mdash;"

- A Rebel soldier

Solo and Chewie were both planning to leave Hoth shortly before the Empire attacked in order to pay off their debt to Jabba the Hutt due to a encounter with a bountry hunter on Ord Mantell sometime earlier but they ultimately found themselves stranded with Princess Leia, C-3PO, and R2-D2 once the bombardment began. Snowtroopers were easily able to make their way into Echo Base once the shield had been destroyed, and Leia instructed all remaining personnel in the base to evacuate immediately. Many of the survivors were able to escape in the transports unharmed.

Darth Vader traveled to Echo Base, wanting to personally deal with Leia and the others himself. Han knew that their only method of escape was to make it back to the Millennium Falcon, and managed to make his way there. Although the Falcon was not able to start up immediately due to damage it had sustained earlier, Han held off approaching Snowtroopers by using the ship's weapons systems. The Falcon was able to blast off just as Vader arrived to the hangar it was stationed in.

Rebel escape
Most of the remnants of the Rebellion's troops on Hoth were miraculously able to escape, though the Alliance would be temporarily scattered, leaving many of the leaders of the Rebel Alliance separated from their forces. Luke Skywalker was able to make his way back to Echo Base, before the Empire destroyed it, and took off in an X-Wing. He chose not to go to the rendezvous point in order to find Yoda, per Obi-Wan's request. Meanwhile, Solo and his group were unable to utilize the power of Lightspeed due to engine trouble, and were forced to flee from the Imperial fleet by other means.

Aftermath
The battle was a costly blow to the Rebel Alliance, scattering the surviving forces and lowering morale to the cause. However, the Rebels would continue to persist in their effort to battle against the Empire in spite of this crushing defeat. Although Solo would eventually be taken prisoner by Boba Fett, Skywalker, Organa, C-3PO, R2-D2 and Chewbacca would eventually reunite with the Rebel fleet, joined by anewfound ally, Lando Calrissian.

Appearances

 * Star Wars: Galactic Defense
 * The Adventures of Luke Skywalker, Jedi Knight
 * Star Wars: Battle Pod
 * Star Wars Battlefront
 * Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back
 * Epic Yarns: The Empire Strikes Back
 * Star Wars: Uprising
 * Star Wars: Uprising