Imperial Elite Guard (Galactic Civil War)

During the Galactic Civil War, the empire used stormtroopers to protect certain high ranking imperial commanders. These forces were known as the Imperial Elite Guard.

History
During the early days of the Galactic Empire, it was not uncommon for Stormtroopers to be led in combat by certain Field Commanders. These officers were often crucial to a victory. As such, they were usually kept in the rear of an invasion, or safely in an imperial base.

However, when rebel forces began to attack lightly defended imperial bases, often bypassing the main army, it became clear that the empire would need to defend their valuable commanders. As commanders were not trained in combat, the solution was to guard them with stormtroopers that would stay with them at all times.

The forces were rarely seen guarding other imperial officers, and it is possible they were only used for this purpose. The were in many ways the equivalent to the Alliance Elite Guard.

Training
These soldiers were given the same training as standard imperial stormtroopers. However, it is likely that they were given a higher emphasis on defense, in addition to operating in tightly knit squads. They were given the same equipment as Stormtroopers, Snowtroopers, and Sandtroopers, depending on the environment.

Appearances
Star Wars: Empire at War