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 felt surprise was wiser&mdash;" "''He is as clumsy as he is stupid. General, prepare your troops for a surface attack."

- General 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 and avoiding the watchful eyes of the Empire. Echo Base was constructed as the primary stronghold toward this purpose.

The temporary respite was not to last for the Rebels, however - the Empire sent out several probe droids in search of hidden Rebel bases throughout the Galaxy, and one was jettisoned to Hoth. Commander Luke Skywalker spotted the probe droid crash landing while on a recon mission with his Tauntaun, 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 of 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 Ozzel's concern that the assailants were merely pirates, 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 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 to a rendezvous point in the Outer Rim.

When Darth Vader's fleet arrived upon Hoth, 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 much earlier than the rest of the fleet. Vader force chokes Ozzel to death for poorly handling the situation and immediately promotes Captain 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 to safely escape. However, the Imperials still managed to their forces on the surface of the planet, composed of several AT-ATs, AT-STs and Snowtroopers led by General Veers.

Several Rebels working as ground forces attempted to hold the line against the Imperial artillery, but were met with little success due to the nigh-impervious armor that was utilized by the AT-ATs. However, Rogue Group, led by Luke Skywalker and Wedge Antilles, were able to utilize Snowspeeders to halt the march of the Imperials, demolishing several AT-STs. Antilles, aided by his gunner 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 and leaving him stranded on the ground once his ship was 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. Much of the Rebel artillery placed to carry out the battle was quickly destroyed, forcing the ground soldiers 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 ready for assault.

Infiltration of Echo Base
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, 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 fly off 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. 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 Hoth Rebels were able to escape by the sheer force of a miracle, though the Alliance would be temporarily scattered, leaving many of the leaders of the Rebel Alliance separate from their forces. Luke Skywalker was able to make his way back to Echo Base before the Empire completely 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 be taken prisoner by Boba Fett, Skywalker, Organa, C-3PO, R2-D2, and Chewbacca would eventually reunite with the Rebel fleet, joined by newfound ally Lando Calrissian.

Appearances

 * The Adventures of Luke Skywalker, Jedi Knight
 * Star Wars: Battlefront
 * Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back