Battle Name : | Battle of Yavin
Battle Location : | Near the Fourth Moon of Yavin (Yavin IV) in the Yavin System
Battle Occurred : | 3 Years Before the Battle of Hoth
Battle Type : | Do-or-Die All-Out Attack (For the Rebel Alliance)
Force Making Attack : | Galactic Empire
Opposing Forces : | Galactic Empire / Rebel Alliance
Victorious Force : | Rebel Alliance
Imperial Personnel : | Lord Vader, Black Two (Pilot DS-61-2 or Mauler Mithel), Black Three (Backstabber or Pilot DS-61-3), Black Four (Dark Curse or Pilot DS-61-4), Qorl (Rank Number CE3K-1977) <<On board the Death Star>> Grand Moff Tarkin, Admiral Motti, General Tagge, Chief Bast, Ars Dangor (Imperial Advisor), Colonel Maximilian Veers, Colonel Wullf Yularen of I.S.B., Major Calders (Warden), Captain Kornov, Captain Khurgee (Docking Bay Security Officer), Lieutenant Tanbris, Lieutenant Gorsick Dommaro (Security Sector), Sergeant Major Enfield, Sergeant Torent, Dezix of I.S.B., Ensign Hocce (Medical Technician), Tajis Durmin (Death Star Trooper), Officer Cass (Grand Moff Tarkin's Aid), Officer Evax-Starship Combat Coordinator (Imperial Intelligence), BT-455 (Scanning Crew, that boarded the Millennium Falcon) and 5D6-RA-7 (Admiral Motti's Aid), R3-T6 (R3 Unit) and LIN-V8M (Military Mine Laying Droid)
Imperial Force Composition : | Death Star (First), Darth Vader's TIE Advanced x1 and Lord Vader's personal TIE Starfighter Squadron (Black Squadron [Death Star Assault Squadron])
Rebel Personnel : | Garven "Dave" Dreis (Red Leader or Red 1), Wedge Antilles (Red 2), Biggs Darklighter (Red 3), John D (Red 4), Luke Skywalker (Red 5), Jek Porkins (Red 6), Elyhek Rue (Red 7), Bren Quersey (Red 8), Lieutenant Naytaan (Red 9), Theron Nett (Red 10), Unknown (Red 11-12), R2-X2, Red 10's Droid, Lieutenant Wenton Chan was assigned to Red Squadron in an Unknown Position, Jon "Dutch" Vander (Gold Leader), Tiree (Gold 2), Ryle Torsyn (Gold 3), Lieutenant Lepira (Gold 4), Davish "Pops" Krail (Gold 5), Hol Okand (Gold 6), Rest of Gold Squadron is Unknown, Captain Keyan Farlander (Unknown position in Gold Squadron), Hamo Blastwell (Unknown squadron and position) and Han Solo and Chewbacca (Millennium Falcon) who came near the end of the Battle. Also the "Spirit" of General Obi-Wan Kenobi was present with Luke Skywalker. <<Massassi Base>> Princess Leia Organa, General Jan Dodonna, Colonel Feyn Gospic, Major Palo Torshan, Commander Vanden Willard, Commander Evram Lajaie, Commander Bob Hudsol, Del Goren (Communications and Jamming Scanner Expert), Lynia Delline (Aid to Mon Mothma), Dr'uun Unnh (Naturalist), Firin Morett (Engineer for Red and Gold Squadrons, has final launch authority), Grondorn Muse and Tigran Jamiro
Rebel Force Composition : | Red Squadron (X-Wings), Gold Squadron (Y-Wings), Blue Squadron (?-Wings) Total of 30 starfighters. <<Massassi Base or Base One (Rebel High Command)>>
Battle Outcome | Battle Outcome
Imperial Survivors : | Lord Vader, General Tagge, Chief Bast, Colonel Maximilian Veers, Black Four (Dark Curse or Pilot DS-61-4) and Qorl (Rank Number CE3K-1977) who crashed landed on Yavin IV. Chief Bast who escaped the Death Star's destruction
Surviving Forces : | Lord Vader's TIE Advanced x1, Black Four's TIE Fighter, Qorl's TIE Fighter (Crashed on Yavin IV) and Chief Bast's Shuttle
Imperial Loses : | Death Star (First) with everyone and everything onboard, and all but two of Lord Vader's TIE Fighters
Rebel Survivors : | Wedge Antilles (Red 2), Luke Skywalker (Red 5), Captain Keyan Farlander and Han Solo and Chewbacca (Millennium Falcon). <<Massassi Base>> (Rebel High Command) The base, all its crew and personnel, except for Dr'uun Unnh
Surviving Forces : | 2 X-Wings, 1 Y-Wing, the Millennium Falcon and Massassi Base
Rebel Loses : | All but 3 of the 30 starfighters

The Battle of Yavin was the first major engagement between Imperial and Rebel forces. Unfortunately this was the first major tactical victory for the Rebel Alliance and a devastating defeat for the Empire. Before the battle, during the night the MC80a Independence arrived to supply starfighters to Yavin Base and to get repairs. Damage to the MC80a Independence was mostly to the shield coils, some damage was done to the electronics and hull after a recent Imperial attack on the vessel near Bestine.

After the Rebels obtained the Death Star Readouts from the Rebels who escaped the Death Star, in the early hours in the morning General Jan Dodonna discovered a weakness to the Death Star. The Death Star's ray shielded two metre wide exhaust port that led directly to the main reactor was the weakness. The Rebel plan was to get a small snubfighter to travel down one of the 18 trenches that converged on these two ports. The snubfighter would travel down a 50 km trench to the upper pole to where the exhaust port was located and fire a pair of proton torpedoes into it, while avoiding the hail of defensive fire. From there the torpedoes would travel to the main reactor, detonating it and causing a chain reaction that would destroy the Death Star. The ammunition supplies at Yavin IV were so low, only Squadron Leaders and a few of the best pilots carried more than a single pair of proton torpedoes on their fighters.

Shortly before the battle, an overzealous Imperial officer under General Tagge redistributed the gunners in alphabetical order about the station in a misguided attempt to encourage crews to become effective in any combination. By that foolish order the unity between gun crews and targeting co-ordinators was shattered. That foolish action compromised the Death Star's defence net at the worst possible moment, on the eve of battle. It is wondered what they could have done if the gunnery crews were left the way that were originally. Compounding that disaster, were the safety features built into the targeting computer programs that didn't allow the weapons to fire when any portion of the station was within its sights. That weakness was exploited by the Rebels who flew courses that wouldn't allow the weapon towers to fire without risk of hitting the station. And on top of that the Death Star's defences were designed to repel a direct large scale attack. Worse yet, at the moment of battle Grand Moff Tarkin foolishly refused to launch his TIE Starfighter squadrons, considering the Rebel attack inconsequential and to prevent the appearance of fear on part of the Empire.

The Death Star followed the Millennium Falcon to the secret Rebel Base, through letting them escape and having a tracking device installed onboard. Upon arriving in the Yavin System the Death Star would clear Yavin in 30 standard minutes to have a clear shot at Yavin IV to crush the Rebellion with one quick stroke. In response to the arrival of the Death Star, the Rebels mustered every ship they had. After their briefing and preparing their fighters, they only had 15 standard minutes left. The X-Wings along with the Y-Wings crossed the distance between Yavin IV and the Death Star and passed through its magnetic field with their shields on double front. The Death Star activated its 220-SIG Tactical Combat Jammers, which interfered with the sensors and targeting computers on the Rebel fighters, which forced the Rebels to rely on visual scanning and Yavin Base to provide them with information.

Gold Leader would lead his fighters to the target shaft, while Red Leader would lead his fighters to cut across the axis of the Death Star to draw fire away from Gold Squadron. During this, Lieutenant Tanbris informed Lord Vader of the situation that the Rebel Fighters were so small that they were evading the station's defensive turbolasers. With that, Lord Vader ordered the launching of his TIE Starfighters. The Rebel fighters stayed low and close to the Death Star's surface to avoid defensive fire from the station's weapons.

When Red 5 made his strafing run against the station, he was forced to pull up due to a fireball he caused. Red 3 and Red 6 made an attack run that destroyed one of the Death Star's Deflection Towers, however Red 3 encountered a problem, and he didn't pull up or eject and was destroyed by turbolaser fire soon after. There were 7 minutes left before the Death Star would be in fire range of Yavin IV. During another of Red 5 strafing runs, the apparition of Obi-Wan Kenobi told him to "trust his feelings". In doing so Red 5 was able to cause more damage to the station. By this time TIE Starfighters had been launched, and thus the Rebels' Base One informed the flight leaders of this (since the Rebel starfighters' sensors were being jammed). During this period a skirmish ensued, the Rebels took some casualties and as did the Empire. During the engagement Red 5 took a hit in one of his engines.

At this part of the battle, Lord Vader realized that several Rebel fighters had broken off from the main group, he picked two of his wingmen for his attack on the Rebels with his TIE Advanced x1. Throughout the battle, all Keyan Farlander could do was to fight off and clear out some of TIE Fighters. Gold Leader along with Gold 2 and Gold 5 made their attack run down the trench and they were greeted with a hail of weapons fire. That fire stopped without notice and that reprieve brought with it Lord Vader and his two wingmen who had entered the trench unnoticed. Lord Vader ensured that Gold Leader and his wingmen were not able to complete their attack run on the exhaust port. During Lord Vader's attack run, Gold 5 would not loosen up formation for Gold Leader (as Gold Leader panicked with the TIEs coming ever closer [after the destruction of Gold 2], Gold 5 a veteran, attempted to keep Gold Leader on target), which led to their easy obliteration. Farlander was too far away to assist them, he wanting to swing around for a shot but by that time he was being attack from all sides and his shields were failing.

The Death Star had 3 minutes left to clear Yavin, at that time Chief Bast informed Grand Moff Tarkin that there was a danger posed to the station, after he analysed the Rebel attack strategy. Red Leader along with Red 10 and Red 12 made their attack run, but once again the trench attack did not succeed. Lord Vader eliminated Red 12, while one of Lord Vader's wingmen eliminated Red 10 (shortly after the elimination of Red 12, Red 10 began to panic. But his fear did not last long). However, Red Leader was able to survive long enough to get a lock on the exhaust port and fire a pair of proton torpedoes, but one hit the side of the trench causing damage while the other detonated near the exhaust port. He was soon killed by Lord Vader when he took out 2 of his (Red Leader's) engines, causing Red Leader to crash on the station's surface after being chased out of the trench.

By this time in the battle, the Death Star had 1 minute left till it cleared Yavin. The next attack run was led by Red 5. His wingmen Red 2 and Red 3 followed him in the trench going at full throttle. Red 2 was forced to pull out after one of Darth Vader's wingmen caused enough damage to him. Lord Vader ordered his wingmen to ignore Red 2 as he left the trench. Meanwhile, Red 3 was trying to keep the Imperial TIE Starfighters off of Red 5 for his run against the exhaust port, however, Red 3 met his ultimate fate by Lord Vader's laser cannons.

By this time there was 30 seconds left before the Death Star would clear Yavin. Red 5 was using his targeting computer to target the Death Star's exhaust port, until the Spirit of Obi-Wan Kenobi told him "let go", which he did so by shutting off his targeting computer. Lord Vader fired at Red 5 and he was able to take out Red 5's droid R2-D2. The taking out of Red 5's droid marked when the Death Star had cleared Yavin and was ready to fire its superlaser at Yavin IV to crush the Rebellion with one swift stroke.

When it seemed that victory for the Empire was near, the Millennium Falcon came out of nowhere destroying Black 3, as Lord Vader was firing his laser cannons at Red 5. Moments later, Black 2 spotted the Millennium Falcon heading towards him and he panicked. Black 2 veered radically to the right and clipped Lord Vader's TIE Advanced x1 (its wing, causing a bend in it) sending it careening out of control out of the trench, while Black 2 hit the side of the trench and was killed. Guided by the Force, Red 5 shot the pair of proton torpedoes that went into the exhaust port that led to the main reactor that destroyed the Death Star in a chain reaction as it was standing by to destroy the last vintages of the Rebellion. Red 5 joined Red 2 and the Millennium Falcon as they headed to escape the impending explosion of the Death Star. They were later joined by Keyan Farlander who after shaking TIE Fighters was in time to escape the explosion of the First Death Star.

The Rebels hoped that Lord Darth Vader died in the Battle of Yavin, but they were dead wrong. Many of the Empire's best officers, personnel and equipment, especially 1,420 of the 1,500 Imperial Class Repulsortanks that were initially produced, all 1,420 tanks shipped on the station were lost on the Death Star unfortunately. General Tagge took the Rebellion seriously, but he was overruled by his superior officers when it came to his advice. If he had taken his complaint directly to the Emperor, he may have been a "Military Hero" to a victorious Galactic Empire.

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