First Battle of Yavin Base

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Conflict

Galactic Civil War

Date

.6 ABY

Place

Yavin

Result

tactical and strategical victory for the Empire

Combatants
Galactic Empire	Rebel Alliance
Commanders
Darth Vader, Admiral Amise Griff, Captain Kendal Ozzel, Captain Firmus Piett	Luke Skywalker, General Dodonna, Admiral Ackbar, Bothan commanders
Strength
Stormtroopers 501st Legion, "Vaders Fist" 500,000 troops aboard the destroyers acting as reserve units 1 Imperial Infantry Batallion 74-Z Speeder bikes LAVr QH-7 Chariots AT-ST walkers AT-AR walkers several PX-4 Mobile Command Bases HAVw A5 Juggernauts AT-AT walkers TIE Fighters TIE Interceptors TIE Bombers Y-85 Titan Dropships AT-AT Barges Victory II-class frigates Immobilizer 418 cruisers Victory-class Star Destroyers Imperial-class Star Destroyers 1 Executor-class Star Dreadnought	Rebel troopers 74-Z Speeder bikes Rebel gun sleds Atgar 1.4 FD P-Towers DF .9/B anti-infantry laser batteries X-wings Y-wings A-wings B-wings Millennium Falcon CR90 Corellian Corvettes DP-20 Corellian Gunships GR-75 Medium Transports Nebulon-B-class Star Frigates Mon Calamari Star Cruisers
Casualties
light and medium infantry and vehicle losses	massive losses including infantry, pilots and several commanding officers, vehicles and equipment

The First Battle of Yavin Base is a fictional battle which takes place during the Galactic Civil War of the Star Wars universe. It is a battle between the Galactic Empire and the Rebel Alliance that took place six months after the Battle of Yavin in .6 ABY. It took place before the Massacre on Talay and after the Battle of Yavin.

[edit] Background

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

After the destruction of the first Death Star, the Rebel Alliance prepared to evacuate the jungle moon, fearing Imperial reprisals. However, most of the Rebel fleet, including the Mon Calamari Star Cruisers under Ackbar and the refugee ships containing the Alliance government, had not been present during the battle and were scattered throughout the galaxy.

Several garrisons of troopers escaped the Death Star, and their escape pods crashed into the moon. They combined their ranks and started to move toward the Great Temple. General Dodonna supervised the evacuation of the Yavin base. However, before the base's support staff could be completely evacuated, an armada of Imperial ships, including Immobilizer-418 class Interdictor cruisers appeared in the Yavin system. Instead of attacking, the Imperial ships formed a blockade that prevented the Rebels from escaping into hyperspace. Members of the 501st Legion participated in the orbital battle as well the ground invasion, immobilizing and capturing a Mon Calamari Star Cruiser and destroying countless starfighters.

In fact, this blockade had been ordered by Darth Vader himself, who wanted to capture Rebels attempting to escape. Meanwhile, the Star Destroyer Executor was nearing completion at the shipyards of Fondor. This mighty ship could take on an entire armada of smaller vessels and would serve as Vader's Death Squadron. In retaliation for the destruction of the first Death Star, Vader wanted to use the Executor against the Rebels, from which he oversaw the battle from the bridge of the Executor.

Later, Luke Skywalker and other Rebels continually bypassed the Imperial blockade. First, they tried to steal the Executor, though they were betrayed and most of the task force was killed. Luke, however, managed to escape and return to the Alliance with intelligence about the behemoth warship. During a second mission, Luke discovered the arctic planet of Hoth. After returning, he suggested to the Alliance that they evacuate to Hoth and set up another base there.

These evasions angered the Imperial armada's commanders, who eventually wanted Darth Vader to launch an assault on Yavin 4. Meanwhile, the Rebel leaders, including Dodonna, were concerned, because while smaller ships could slip through the blockade, attempts with larger ships had resulted in the vessels' destruction or capture. Dodonna then contacted Mon Mothma and Ackbar and arranged for them to stage a diversional assault. Rebel forces under Ackbar engaged Imperial forces in the Vallusk Cluster to divert Imperial forces at Yavin 4. In fact, the Empire never took the bait and send only a few reinforcements to destroy the rebels at the Vallusk Cluster.

Meanwhile, the completed Executor finally arrived at Yavin 4, and the battle began. During the assault, the Empire launched an entire mechanized division of vehicles including A5 Juggernauts and AT-STs. TIE fighters and TIE Bombers would shell the jungle area.

Dodonna evacuated the base's fighters and transports though he refused to evacuate himself until everyone had left. Instead, the general planted several concussion charges that decimated a whole squadron of TIE Bombers. It was believed that he had died in action, though it was later revealed he had been captured and imprisoned in the Super Star Destroyer Lusankya. Several members of Alliance High Command stationed at the Rebel base were killed by the 501st Legion during its vengeful assault, this also include the massive infantry men who were killed, nearly in the thousands. In fact, this attack was entirely made to honor the lives of the men who were killed after the destruction of the Death Star.

The few surviving Rebels evacuated to Hoth where they established a new base.