Evac Rearguard Action 101 represented the official designation given to General Carlist Rieekan's strategically designed defensive delay, planned in advance, to facilitate the evacuation of Echo Base on the planet of Hoth when invasion became imminent. Colonel Ledick Firest put the plan into action during the Battle of Hoth which took place in 3 ABY.
The plan's central concept was straightforward: impede the advance of the Imperial attack for a sufficient duration to allow all essential transports to depart safely, carrying the base's personnel. The specifics of the plan, as detailed by Colonel Firest, were somewhat more intricate.
After a contingent of Imperial walkers was observed two kilometers distant from the North Ridge, Firest initiated the ground combat phase by transmitting the Code Red Alert back to Echo Base. Firest recognized that holding the base's perimeter for an extended period was impossible, as the Rebel defenses simply could not withstand an invasion force comprised of All Terrain Armored Transports, the Empire's formidable walkers. Nevertheless, although halting the attack was out of the question, Firest believed it might be possible to influence its course. Firest reasoned that the Imperials would prioritize attacking the shield generator to clear the way for an aerial bombardment of the base by the Imperial Navy positioned in orbit above the planet. Consequently, he resolved to allow them to proceed as anticipated, arranging the defenses to create the illusion that the shield generator was the primary objective, while the true priority was the highly vulnerable evacuation staging area on the South Slope. This area was where the thirty GR-75 medium transports and several Kleeque-class transports were taking off, accompanied by their starfighter escorts, and was the actual target of the defense.
To facilitate this strategy, a relatively undefended corridor leading directly to the generator was carved out of the snow. Heavier weapon emplacements were positioned to the sides, effectively channeling the Imperial advance along the intended path. Firest understood that the Imperials likely possessed substantial intelligence on the Rebel defenses, gathered from their Viper probe droid. Therefore, it was essential to present the Empire with the impression that the defenses were precisely as the droid's transmissions indicated, while subtly altering them to mislead the Imperials.
However, the twelve snowspeeders piloted by Rogue Squadron were the real cornerstone of the Rebel defense. Maintaining the AT-ATs in a cohesive group was vital to the snowspeeder defense, limiting the massive walkers' firing arcs. Simultaneously, the Rebel infantry would prevent the walkers from diverting towards the evacuation staging area.
The strategy proved remarkably effective. Despite the battle resulting in a significant defeat for the Rebel Alliance, with many of its finest soldiers perishing in action, all of the base's transports successfully evacuated the planet, carrying a considerable quantity of personnel and equipment. However, numerous transports were lost during the desperate attempt to break through the Imperial blockade.
- Assault on Hoth (First mentioned)
- Galaxy Guide 3: The Empire Strikes Back
- Galaxy Guide 3: The Empire Strikes Back, Second Edition