Ambush against PLT Depot 5

The Ambush against PLT Depot 5 was a skirmish in the Galactic Civil War that took place in 3 ABY or earlier. A textbook Rebel raid on Imperial Navy Supply Depots, the operation resulted in Alpha Squadron eliminating two Rebel squadrons as well as a group of Heavy Lifters sent in to steal supplies when they attacked PLT Depot 5.

Battle
"Alpha 1 reporting in: patrolling for craft to attack"

- Alpha 1 to Alpha Squadron, just before engaging Blue Squadron.

During a routine patrol around the Imperial Navy supply depot known as PLT Depot 5, Alpha Leader found Blue Squadron, a X-wing squadron tied to the Rebel Alliance, approaching the depot and moved in to engage, also contacting his squadron with his status report when encountering them. Shortly afterwards, PLT Depot 5, having detected more Rebels exiting Hyperspace, ordered Alpha Squadron to engage and eliminate the invaders. They then got an alert of four BTL Y-wing starfighters in the area belonging to Gold Squadron attacking the platform. Eventually, more X-Wings belonging to Gold and Red Squadrons entered in. Alpha 1 eventually got shot down, with Alpha 2 taking command. The newly promoted Alpha 2 then ordered his wingmen to target Red 2 while Alpha 2 took care of Red 1.

Eventually, several Heavy Lifters belonging to the group Pelican began targeting the depot's Class-E cargo containers, requiring Alpha Squadron to destroy them before they could successfully steal their contents, with Alpha 2 targeting three of them. At that moment, the Imperial-class Star Destroyer Colossus exited hyperspace and offered assistance to Alpha Squadron and PLT depot 5 by dispatching squadrons of TIE/IN interceptors and TIE/sa bombers to deal with the rebels, as well as utility tugs to retrieve any Class E cargo containers that had been stolen. Upon the Rebels being driven off, the commanding officer noted that the Rebels were getting bolder, although at the same time, the Rebels haven't gotten any smarter.

Aftermath
The events of the ambush were immortalized as one of the Galactic Empire's Combat Training sequences for newly ordained TIE pilots within the Imperial Navy, specifically for upcoming pilots of the TIE/LN starfighter, with then-rookie pilot Maarek Stele eventually assuming the role of Alpha 2 for this simulation, also earning the Bronze TIE fighter combat medallion for participation in this as well as basic exercises. It was often used to highlight to newcomers the relationship between a Flight Leader and his Wingmates, and to a lesser extent to teach them about the use of the targeting computer's memory locations for important objectives and issuing flight orders to other wingmen.

Behind the scenes
The Ambush against PLT Depot 5 first appears in the PC game 1994 Star Wars: TIE Fighter. It is the second Combat Training mission for the TIE Fighter, titled "Flight Leaders & Wingmen".

If the player takes long to complete the mission, the Imperial Star Destroyer Colossus will arrive with reinforcements. Although the strategy guide does not mention the Colossus getting involved, this article assumes it did.

Appearances

 * Star Wars: TIE Fighter