Battle of Hoth/Legends

"On that day, on that planet, our blood ran hot with dreams of victory, melting the ice that stood in our way."

- Unknown 501st stormtrooper

The Battle of Hoth was an important conflict in the Galactic Civil War, during which Echo Base on Hoth was destroyed. It would prove a major victory for the Galactic Empire, and would heavily stymie the Rebels.

Prelude
"My men and I spent long, arduous hours setting up the perimeter defenses, doing what we could in case we were ever found here. Then this morning Captain Solo made scrap out of an Imperial probe droid that slipped past our proximity sensors&hellip; We knew they'd be coming&mdash;and we were ready for them."

- Corporal Jobin Mothma



After the abandonment of the base on Yavin 4, the Empire spent much effort searching for the location of the Rebellion's new secret base. During an assault on Zaloriis City to punish the Zaloran separatists, Lord Darth Vader and General Maximilian Veers discovered archives of the library which showed the new location to be somewhere near Elrood.

Echo Base was founded around 2 ABY. Luke Skywalker had suggested Hoth as a possible location for the new Rebel base, after he'd been stranded on Hoth and found an Imperial in exile there. He killed the man and left in search of the Alliance, to bringing the information about Hoth.

"Make ready to land our troops beyond their energy field, then deploy the fleet so that nothing gets off the system. You are in command now, Admiral Piett."

- Darth Vader to Firmus Piett

Vader's personal Death Squadron fleet reached the Hoth system, following a chance discovery made by a Viper probe droid, which was later destroyed by Han Solo. Their discovery turned out to be the main base of the Rebel Alliance, located on the sixth planet of the system. To oversee the vital assault on the heart of the Rebellion, Grand General Malcor Brashin and his talented second-in-command General Brenn Tantor were summoned to the Hoth system.



Lord Vader and many of his top officers had planned a sneak attack, jumping out of hyperspace at some distance from the planet and taking advantage of the fact that the meteor activity made it difficult for the Rebels to spot approaching ships. They would then initiate limited long-range orbital bombardment to destroy any spacecraft and defenses, followed by a sweeping ground assault to capture any survivors.

The plan would have likely allowed the Imperials to easily take the planet with few casualties, however, Admiral Kendal Ozzel made his own assault plan, and exited hyperspace close to the star system planning for a saturated bombardment. This tactical blunder allowed the Rebel's early-warning sensors to detect the fleet. The theater shield protecting Echo Base was activated, which precluded any undesirable bombardment. An angry Darth Vader executed the Admiral for his incompetence and promoted Firmus Piett, then chief fleet captain of the Star Dreadnaught Executor, to Admiral.



Having assessed the situation, Vader ordered General Veers to land beyond the range of the energy shield and begin a surface assault aimed at knocking out the Rebel's power generator and thus bringing down the shield, while Death Squadron took up a blockade formation in an effort to prevent any fleeing rebel starships from escaping. Veers would command the situation on the ground while Tantor oversaw the entire engagement and issued Veers's orders from orbit via the BHCI.

Various landing craft deposited the Imperial landing force at the Morsh Moraine. The Imperial landing force, dubbed Blizzard Force, consisted of several battalions of cold-weather equipped 501st Stormtroopers (known as Snowtroopers), some squads equipped with heavy repeating blasters. This infantry force was carried aboard AT-AT and A5 Juggernaut transports, which in turn were supported by AT-PT, AT-ST and AT-AR walkers, and with Viper probe droids providing extra sensory-support. This mechanized force was deployed by several Y-85 Titan Dropships, and larger landing assault craft.

The Alliance employed T-47 snowspeeders, light aircraft modified for arctic combat conditions led by the elite Rogue Squadron. Ground troops were armed with A280 blaster rifles and several types of artillery emplacements, including DF.9/B anti-infantry laser batteries and the Clone Wars-era P-Tower anti-vehicle laser cannons.



A large ion cannon, the V-150 Planet Defender, provided fire support for the leaving transports. Like all their defenses, the Rebels' ion cannon was remotely hooked up to the stolen reactor equipment of a Praetor-class Star Battlecruiser, feeding more power to Echo Base's defenses than the previous stolen Star Destroyer reactor had done to their Massassi Base. This enabled the Rebel forces to withstand bombardement from even a top-of-the-line Star Dreadnaught like the Executor. To protect the interior of the base, Rebel troops employed small repulsorsleds, each armed with a blaster cannon, to form the last line of defense against the Empire's troops.

The battle
"We've got to hold them until all transports are away. Prepare for ground assault."

- General Carlist Rieekan



The Imperial assault was primarily aimed at destroying the Rebel's main power generators. This would shut down the theater shield protecting the base from orbital bombardment. General Veers led the assault personally, commanding his AT-AT walker, and crushed the Rebel defenses.

The Imperials suffered casualties before the battle even begun. Blizzard Four had attempted to make its way through the Kerane Valley in an attempt to impress Vader. Veers lost three walkers--presumably AT-STs--to crevasses of ice flow. This prompted the force to retreat to the safer western route.

The Imperial troops first attacked Echo Station 3-T-8 and then Echo Station 5-7, that contained some of the evacuation transpots. Both bases along with the six ships were soon destroyed by the overwhelming Imperial forces.

AT-ST walkers moved toward the Outpost Beta ion cannon to prevent any Star Destroyer casualties in the space battle. Snowspeeders flew in and destroyed the attackers before they reached the cannon. Blizzard Force came under harassing fire from the Alliance emplacements, but the walkers' armor plating was too strong for Rebel lasers. Only Rogue Squadron succeeded in toppling one assault transport, using an unorthodox tactic imagined by Luke Skywalker and Alliance tactician Beryl Chiffonage, which relied on magnetic harpoons and tow cables to entangle the walker's feet.

Unfortunately, the tactic's success was minimal, and the AT-ATs downed many snowspeeders with deadly volleys from their blaster cannons. The rebels dove into the trenches, seeking cover. Luke was then shot down by walker fire, and barely managed to get out of his wrecked craft before it was crushed by a walker. In an act that seemed to give Palpatine's concern about Luke's burgeoning power of a potential Jedi creditability, the young pilot decided to attempt to bring down an AT-AT on his own. Using only a grappling hook, his father's lightsaber, and some thermal detonators, Luke managed to do precisely that, before heading off to rejoin the rebels.



Most of the rebels in the trenches were wounded, dying or dead, or scared, demoralized by the unstoppable Imperial attack. The rebel gun emplacements fired on the walkers, to no avail. Many rebels met their deaths to the walkers' body-ripping rays. AT-STs and snowtroopers mopped up what they could.

As the armored assault force reached the trenches, the Alliance soldiers, with most of their laser cannon emplacements destroyed, came under heavy fire, and the order to retreat was issued. With the other AT-ATs providing cover fire, Veers in Blizzard 1 broke through the defensive lines and proceeded to annihilate the shield power generators. After the decisive victory move, the blockade in orbit began a piecemeal bombardment of the battlefield, taking out defensive emplacements and fleeing ships. Imperial forces then used airmobile tactics to deploy snowtroopers onto the surface.



"Imperial troops have entered the base! Imperial troops have entered the [static]"

- Jobin Mothma

Lord Vader personally led troopers of the 501st Legion into Echo Base, cutting down any who stood in his way, and, in one case, choking a soldier to death. Alliance troops attempted to delay Imperial progress, but were swiftly overwhelmed by the mechanized assault. As the snowtroopers breached the icy bunker walls of Echo Base and entered close range combat with the defenders, Rebel personnel were forced to flee. However, members of Renegade Squadron, who were defending the ion cannon team, put up a determined defense. They inflicted moderate casualties on the 501st Legion and engaged Darth Vader, managing to force him back, at least temporarily. After the route to the rebel transports was blocked by a collapsing ceiling brought about by Imperial bombardment, Han Solo managed to escape in the Millennium Falcon with Princess Leia Organa, after a close encounter with an advance group of snowtroopers.



The 501st moved through the base and into the back hangar and landing area. There, the last of the Rebel troops were loading onto a last transport. The elite shocktroops led by Vader pushed them back, but took several casualties at the hands of DF.9 Anti-Infantry Batteries and E-web heavy repeating blaster encampments. As the 501st and Rebels were engaged in firefights, a Star Destroyer descended into the atmosphere and commenced bombardment. Most of the Rebel infantry were killed, though stragglers remained.

One other Rebel, Dash Rendar, was trapped inside Echo Base in the hangar bays. His YT-2400 Light freighter, the Outrider, was on the other side of the base, where the power was out. He used the station's supply of captive Wampas as an advantage, setting them free to help his slaughter of the Imperial infantry. After restoring the power allowing the rest of the Rebels to escape, his troubles got worse; a lone AT-ST walker managed to slip behind the base's defenses and penetrated the base. Rendar nevertheless managed to destroy it and he escaped in the Outrider.

Rogue Squadron and Luke Skywalker pushed into the atmosphere and defended the fleeing transports. As TIE/sa bombers moved in, the X-wings swooped and pushed back the attackers. The remaining transports fled, but the battle was not yet over.

Space battle
Approximately thirty Rebel GR-75 Medium Transports managed to take off along with a number of other lighter craft. Despite the cover provided by the KDY v-150 Planet Defender, the Imperial naval squadron blockading the planet managed to destroy seventeen Rebel Medium Transports. The ion cannon crew, made up of Alliance troops from Alderaan, were among the last to leave, blowing up the cannon to mask the sensor reading of their escape. In addition, Renegade Squadron was the last squadron off Hoth. Despite the escape of most senior personnel, the loss in material and men proved a disaster for the Rebel Alliance, and was a terrible blow to its war effort.



A major battle occurred when Renegade Squadron attempted to defend the last transport. To make the path for the transport safer, Renegade Squadron disabled defense turrets on some Imperial frigates. They then met up with the transport and escorted it, all the while fighting off TIE Fighters and TIE Interceptors, to an area where it made the jump to lightspeed. The rebels then had to deal with a new challenge—six prototype TIE Defenders were launched from an Imperial Star Destroyer. Renegade Squadron managed to destroy them. Afterwards, they actually infiltrated the Star Destroyer and stole a TIE Defender to be examined by Alliance Command. While the Rebel fleet prepared to make the jump to hyperspace, yet another challenge was bestowed upon the fleeing Rebellion—Darth Vader, who had arrived in his TIE Advanced x1. Renegade Squadron damaged his ship, in much the same way it was damaged in the Battle of Yavin IV. Finally, they fled.

The battle was not without loss for the Empire: at least one Star Destroyer was temporarily placed out of commission by the orbital-range ion cannon and several AT-ATs were destroyed by Rebel defenders, with more lost when the treacherous ice floes gave way. Despite forcing the Rebels to flee, the Imperial forces were unable to destroy all of the transports, while Lord Vader failed in what he considered a primary objective, namely capturing Luke Skywalker.

Darth Vader remained on the planet with another garrison of troops being landed on the surface as reinforcements in order to wipe out the remaining Alliance Special Forces troops, although he later went up into space to aid the Imperial fleet. The Rebels' snowspeeders were their only defense but were soon wiped out by several TIE/In interceptors from the 128th TIE Interceptor Squadron. As Lord Vader insisted that his fleet chase the Millennium Falcon into the Hoth Asteroid Field, two of his Imperial-class Star Destroyers were lost. The Falcon later escaped to Bespin.

Dash Rendar, in the Outrider, managed to break through the Imperial blockade, destroy the remaining TIEs, and make a jump to hyperspace.

Rogue Squadron
These Rogue pilots are known to be assigned during the battle (pilot/gunner):


 * Rogue Leader: Commander Luke Skywalker/Dak Ralter
 * Rogue Two: Zev Senesca/Kit Valent
 * Rogue Three: Wedge Antilles/Wes Janson
 * Rogue Four: Derek "Hobbie" Klivian/Kesin Ommis
 * Rogue Eight: Zev Kabir/Unknown
 * Rogue Ten: Tarrin Datch/Unknown
 * Rogue Eleven: Tenk Lenso/Unknown
 * Tycho Celchu/Unknown
 * Samoc Farr/Unknown
 * Nala Hetsime/Unknown
 * Dash Rendar/Robotic Gunner

It is possible that Tarn Mison, who flew escort for Bright Hope, the last transport to leave Hoth, was also a snowspeeder pilot or gunner.

Behind the scenes
The Battle of Hoth is featured in several Star Wars video and computer games as a playable mission from a variety of perspectives. Shadows of the Empire and the Rogue Squadron place the player in the seat of a snowspeeder against the armored Imperial force, while Force Commander allows you to take the place of General Tantor and command the mechanized assault. The Star Wars: Battlefront series and Star Wars: Galactic Battlegrounds lets one play in the Battle of Hoth as either the Rebels or the Empire.



In the campaign mission in Star Wars: Battlefront II, you play as a stormtrooper who has to help destroy the defenses, the shield generator, and plant a beacon so that the Imperial fleet can bombard the planet. In the campaign mission in Star Wars Battlefront: Renegade Squadron, you play as a soldier of the Rebel Renegade Squadron, and you defend the ion cannon team, destroy databanks with sensitive information, and even stall Darth Vader. In LEGO Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy, the battle is depicted as being much more extensive, with the player downing countless AT-ATs and AT-STs, although this is non-canon.

The cross-section of Echo Base seen in Inside the Worlds of Star Wars Trilogy shows 15 T-47 airspeeders, 9 in Hangar 7 and the rest in the transports hangar. Whether or not all of these participated in the battle is not known.

Non-canon appearances

 * Star Wars Infinities: The Empire Strikes Back
 * LEGO Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy
 * LEGO Star Wars: The Complete Saga