Following the fall of the Yavin 4 base, the Galactic Empire initiated the Ison Corridor ambush. This assault targeted Rebel convoys traveling through the Ison Corridor on their way to Hoth.
In 0.5 ABY, after the evacuation of Alliance High Command from the Rebel base on Yavin 4, orders were given to two convoys to meet in the Ison Corridor. However, upon their arrival, Imperial forces, concealed within a nearby nebula, obliterated one of the convoys.
The frigate Redemption led the surviving convoy. This convoy included six GR-75 medium transports and an escort of T-65 X-wing starfighters from Red Squadron's Rogue Flight. Upon reaching the designated area, they discovered the remnants of the destroyed convoy scattered as debris, with no survivors in sight. The Captain of the frigate realized they needed to navigate through the debris field to reach hyperspace and escape. Suddenly, TIE fighters launched an ambush on the convoy from three separate directions.
Red Leader Luke Skywalker noticed an object amidst the debris at the start of the battle. Temporarily disengaging from the fight, he successfully located and acquired an advanced proton torpedo tech upgrade before returning to defend the transports.
The Rebels required a faster spacecraft than their X-wings due to the agility of the incoming waves of TIE Interceptors. Following Wedge Antilles' suggestion, Skywalker docked with the frigate and assumed control of an RZ-1 A-wing interceptor.
After eliminating the Interceptors, the convoy entered the nebula, which was their path to escape. They were then attacked by more TIE Fighters and Interceptors hidden within the cloud. The Rebel pilots, under Skywalker's command, managed to destroy all the nearby TIE fighter squadrons, but only by using their targeting computers.
Red Squadron successfully protected all the transports, enabling them to exit the nebula and escort the remaining convoy to Hoth.
The Rebel supply convoy's arrival on Hoth aided the Alliance engineers in constructing Echo Base. This base later became the location of a significant battle during the Galactic Civil War. Following the death of Narra, the leader of Red Squadron, and the destruction of Renegade Flight, Skywalker received a promotion to Commander and took command of the squadron.
The video game Star Wars: Rogue Squadron II: Rogue Leader featured the ambush. Acquiring the upgrade during the mission completes the bonus objective, and players can switch to the A-wing during the mission. Failing the mission occurs if the convoy suffers more than five casualties, but this article assumes 100% completion. Star Wars: Rogue Squadron III: Rebel Strike included the game's campaign, but the co-op version requires defending nine transports. The original portrayal is the basis for this article. The objective of defending at least one transport remained.