Assault on Kashyyyk
The Kashyyyk assault unfolded early in the Galactic Civil War on Kashyyyk, the homeworld of the Wookiee species. The Galactic Empire's military forces launched an attack on a covert Rebel Alliance observation post secretly established on the planet. The Rebels successfully resisted the initial Imperial offensive, compelling the Empire to initiate a second, more determined assault. This subsequent Imperial offensive resulted in the Empire securing control of Kashyyyk, although some troops of the Rebel forces successfully managed to escape the planet.
Prelude
Prior to the events of the Battle of Yavin, the Rebel Alliance had covertly engineered and constructed a small outpost on Kashyyyk, the homeworld of the Wookiee, effectively operating undetected by the Galactic Empire. This outpost included a planetary communications array designed to monitor local radio transmissions and a barracks to provide housing for a small contingent of soldiers.
Following the disappearance of a Rebel patrol team dispatched into a nearby forest for a routine perimeter sweep, Squad Three was deployed to locate the missing unit. The Rebel squad's disappearance was actually a deliberate deception orchestrated by the local Imperial forces to uncover the location of the concealed Rebel outpost. The Empire had strategically deployed a communications jamming device with the intention of provoking the Rebels into revealing their position. The destruction of this device served as confirmation for the Imperial commander stationed in the area that a Rebel presence existed, leading to the immediate commencement of an attack on the outpost.
Ground battle
After the destruction of the jamming device, which restored communications, all Rebel patrol units were ordered back to defend the base. The commander was able to infer that their position had been discovered and that enemy forces were approaching after discovering Imperial markings on the device's remnants. Shortly afterward, an Imperial assault force, including TIE Maulers, stormtroopers, and All Terrain Scout Transports, successfully advanced upon and attacked the Rebel outpost, having determined its location. Nevertheless, the attack was repelled, and the Alliance ground forces were subsequently able to capture several Imperial landing zones located further into the forest.
Space battle
Following the Rebels' capture of the last Imperial reinforcement point on the ground, the Imperial Navy dispatched a task force consisting of four Tartan-class patrol cruisers and two Acclamator-class assault ships, along with their TIE/LN starfighter support. These Imperial vessels entered the star system and proceeded to destroy the small, orbiting space station, which the Rebels had occupied and refurbished shortly before the battle. Despite its dilapidated condition, the station was sufficiently functional to mount a limited defense. During the ensuing orbital conflict, the station, along with a Rebel EF76 Nebulon-B escort frigate and several fighter and bomber squadrons, was destroyed. This action compelled the Alliance to completely abandon Kashyyyk, retreating to their base on the planet Bothawui.
Aftermath
In the aftermath of the orbital skirmish, the Empire dispatched a scouting force into the planet's atmosphere to reclaim Kashyyyk after the Rebel Alliance was forced to evacuate. The surviving Rebel forces had retreated to the main Alliance Fleet, which was stationed above Bothawui at that time. Mon Mothma, the Rebel leader, expressed relief at the survival of some from Kashyyyk, but also explained that the financially strained Alliance urgently needed new sources of revenue to withstand further Imperial assaults.
The Rebels subsequently established a new base on the planet Ryloth, but this base was also soon discovered and subsequently overrun by an Imperial assault, thanks to data the Empire had obtained from the starship logs of a captured Rebel smuggler. Shortly thereafter, an Alliance Special Forces company was deployed to relieve another Rebel outpost on the planet Tatooine, which was under siege by the Imperial Navy and Army.
Behind the scenes
This battle is featured as one of two combat training levels within the real-time strategy video game Star Wars: Empire at War, which was developed by Petroglyph and published by LucasArts in 2006.
In certain instances, the player may be granted 10,000 credits at the beginning of the Space combat training level. This allows the player to construct a Level 3 Space Station and augment their initial forces with additional Victory-class Star Destroyers and TIE Scouts. The player can even upgrade their Space Station to Level 4 and construct Immobiliser 418 cruisers and TIE Defenders, if playing the Forces of Corruption expansion.