StarDestroyer.Net BBS

IG-88E wrote:Found something:

After their shocking defeat at the Battle of Yavin, it was obvious to The Emperor that he would need to bring the full might of his military forces to bear on the Rebel Alliance if he was to crush the their rebellion. One of those options was the mighty Death Squadron. Assigned to his agent, Darth Vader to do with as he felt neccessary, the Death Squadron was comprised of Vader's flagship, the massive Super-class Star Destroyer, Executor (a gift to Vader from Palpatine), and five Imperial-class Star Destroyers. By itself, this massive force could take on anything Alliance Fleet Command could ever hope to throw at it, perhaps the entire Rebel fleet itself. Combined, these six Imperial ships housed thousands of TIE-class fighters, immense firepower, elite officers, and a contingent of the Imperial Army for ground assault.

For several years, it has long been a mystery as to exactly which five Star Destroyers served with this squadron of destruction. Of no doubt were the ImpStars Devastator, Avenger, and Tyrant. If you will remember, the Devastator was Lord Vader's first flagship, used to capture Princess Leia's consular ship, Tantive IV, over the desert world of Tatooine. Two other ships the most rumored to have occupied the remaining slots, during the Hoth battle anyway, were the Vengeance and Invincible (commanded by the legendary Admiral Larin Carist). It isn't impossible that at one time both ships or even others may have been in the Death Squadron. There is also the fact that after the Battle of Hoth three Star Destroyers were badly damaged, one critically, while trying to capture the elusive Millennium Falcon. It is still not known which Star Destroyers replaced those three, but the Stalker is another ImpStar commonly believed to have been with the squadron during its existance.

Whatever the case may be, it is not a rumor as to who its commanders were. The first Death Squad command fell upon Admiral Griff. Griff was a competent officer who oversaw the construction of Vader's Executor and later the blockade of the remaining Rebel forces on Yavin 4. Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately), he wasn't in command of the squadron very long as a miscalculated hyperspace jump landed him and his ship too close to the Executor. Both ship and Admiral were tragically lost. The next commander of the Squadron was Admiral Ozzel--a promotion that was more political than anything else. When Ozzel proved himself to be as unworthy as most thought, the Squadron was given over to a young officer who had already earned much respect amongst many of his peers, Captain Piett. Though Admiral Piett ultimately became the Squadron's last commander, Piett was the only Death Squadron commander allowed the honor to die in combat when he became a victim of the quickly unraveling Empire at the climactic Battle of Endor.

Many Rebels will tell you that the mere sight of Darth Vader's Death Squadron entering a sector was enough for them to surrender. The Death Squadron remains a paralyzing example of the sheer power the Empire possessed.

This is good info. All I need now are Needa's and Lennox's names...waitaminute, maybe I can find them...

By itself, this massive force could take on anything Alliance Fleet Command could ever hope to throw at it, perhaps the entire Rebel fleet itself.

IRG CommandoJoe wrote:IG-88E: I was laughing because you asked whether or not they have first names, which is just silly IMO.
DG_Cal_Wright: Screw you, jackass!

By itself, this massive force could take on anything Alliance Fleet Command could ever hope to throw at it, perhaps the entire Rebel fleet itself.

Too bad that is blatantly false. Death Squadron and 20-something ISDs couldn't destroy the Rebel Fleet, and that was AFTER two Mon Cals were destroyed by the DSII. And of course people will say that the only reason the Executor was destroyed was because of the A-Wing pilot ramming into the command deck. However, Rebel Mon Cal HTLs slamming into the command deck would produce the same results, if not even more devastating results. With the bridge knocked out, taking out the rest of the ship would have been no problem for the Rebels had it not crashed into the DSII before they got the chance to blow it up themselves. I guess the Executor was a paper tiger and the Rebels never had enough guts to face it until it was absolutely necessary to ensure their survival.