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Alliance Fleet

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Alliance Fleet

General information

Fragmentation

3 ABY

Reorganization

5 ABY(AsNew Republic Defense Fleet)

Crew information

Commanding officer(s)

Admiral Gial Ackbar^[1]

Historical information

Notable campaigns

Galactic Civil War^[1]

Notable battles

Affiliation

Alliance to Restore the Republic^[1]

"The Rebel Alliance is too well equipped. They're more dangerous than you realize."

―General Tagge^[2]

TheAlliance Fleet, also called theRebel Fleet, referred to the various spacecraft operated jointly by theRebel Alliance in their struggle against theGalactic Empire. Although it was minuscule in size compared to theImperial Navy, and in many cases its ships were of non-military design, the fleet proved to be a thorn in the Empire's side throughout theGalactic Civil War.

Following theBattle of Endor and the creation of theNew Republic, the Rebel Fleet was renamed into theNew Republic Defense Fleet.

Overview[]

Early history[]

For the bulk of the Rebel Alliance's early history, the acquisition of a legitimate Navy seemed impossible. The Rebel Alliance fleet was originally quite small, comprising of small to mid-sized cruisers, convertedfreighters, and outdatedstarfighters. Much of the war material had been scavenged from fleets of the formerConfederacy of Independent Systems. The Alliance's main sources for its fleet were defection, theft, or salvage. For instance, Mon Mothma's command ship, a former RepublicanDreadnaught-class heavy cruiser namedNew Hope, had been orbiting the planetChurba as a war museum before being stolen and repurposed by theChandrilan resistance. Genuine construction would take place, but the limited locations made building huge ships difficult.

In terms of organization, the Rebel fleet was scattered and under various command structures. All ships in service of the Rebel Alliance in the early years before theBattle of Yavin were owned and operated by each individual Alliance member, such as theSullustans,Corellians, orChandrilans.

These scattered units would work with each other from time to time, such as during theBattle of Ylesia, but overall the space forces of the Alliance were not properly organized and equipped to seriously oppose theImperial Navy.

A proper fleet[]

A portion of the Rebel fleet, after regrouping from being scattered at the . — A portion of the Rebel fleet, after regrouping from being scattered at theBattle of Hoth.

As theGalactic Civil War wore on, the ragtag fleet began to grow, as disaffectedImperials switched sides and numerousplanets declared their support for the Alliance. When theMon Calamari chose to join the Rebel Alliance, they brought with them theirStar Cruisers, giving the Alliance the firepower needed to contend with Imperial warships.

Mon Mothma realized the need for a single and organized Rebel armada, and decided to appoint the Mon CalamariGial Ackbar to the rank ofAdmiral. With the rank came the position ofSupreme Commander of the Alliance Fleet.

Father of the Alliance Navy[]

"The Fleet is firmly under the control of one being: Admiral Ackbar. He is the father of the Alliance Fleet. He created it from virtually nothing and wields it as if it was an extension of his own body."

―Voren Na'al^[3]

Under Ackbar, the once scattered Rebel space forces organized and assembled into an actual fleet, broken down into battle lines and task forces. Ackbar standardized training and created new line rear admirals to help command the elements of the fleet. With Ackbar came the Mon Calamari's sizable shipyards, which began producing new Star Cruisers, frigates, and corvettes.

Mon Mothma gave Ackbar seven orders: the first was 'Avoid Battle.' The second was 'Send a Detailed Report on the State of the Fleet.' The third was 'Complete the Training of the Fleet.' The fourth 'Reorganize Fleet Replenishment.' The fifth 'Maintain a High Level of Morale in Your Command.' The sixth was 'Organize Raiding Forces'. The seventh, and final order was 'Be Prepared to go to Battle within a Month's Notice'.

While the fleet was never committed to full battle, elements and battle lines of the fleet were regularly detached from the main fleet to raid Imperial installations, attack isolated convoys, and ambush small detachments of the Imperial fleet. This tactic of seasoning a fleet through many small engagements served Ackbar well. Years later during theYuuzhan Vong War, a retired and ailing Ackbar organized a similar plan to train the newer units of the New Republic fleet before they had to commit to a major engagement.

Yavin to Hoth[]

A considerable bulk of the Rebel fleet wasambushed nine months after theBattle of Yavin by alarge contingent of theImperial Navy under the command ofDarth Vader. Vader had hoped to end the Galactic Civil War in a single, decisive battle. Although severaltransports and smallercapital ships were quickly destroyed,starfighters commanded byWedge Antilles, includingRogue Squadron, were able to hold off the Imperials long enough to allow the Rebel fleet to scatter intohyperspace.

Between Hoth and Endor[]

To keep the location of the Rebel base a secret from the searching Lord Vader, the Alliance fleet was ordered away fromHoth, dispersed aroundthe galaxy, prior to the evacuation, though some isolated and detached units did aid in the evacuation or create diversions. This conformed to a tactical doctrine that Ackbar and the High Command had adopted—that the Alliance High Command should remain separated from the Alliance Fleet, since the Alliance could probably withstand the loss of either the Fleet or High Command, but not both.

After the defeat at theBattle of Hoth, Alliance High Command and a portion of the Rebel fleet regrouped at the secretrendezvous point beyond the rim of the galaxy. Later, when the Alliance had established itself onArbra, the fleet was kept hidden within the corona of Arbra's sun. For much of the following year, the Rebel fleet remained hidden from the Empire, slowly building itself up and preparing for the inevitable conflict with a full Imperial fleet. Such aconflict would happen over the forest moon ofEndor.

Battle of Endor[]

"Move the fleet away from the Death Star."

―Admiral Ackbar — 20?cb=20250116042720

Link ▶️(file info)^[4]

Alliance Fleet approaches the second Death Star.

Following the discovery of theDeath Star II, the majority of the fleet gathered atSullust. Following a summit on the Rebel flagshipHome One, the fleet launched towards Endor, intent on destroying the superweapon before it was completed. In what became known as theBattle of Endor, the Rebel fleet distinguished itself in facing down a sizable Imperial battle fleet, consisting of the Star DreadnoughtExecutor and around fortyStar Destroyers.

The fleet prevailed at Endor, largely due to the fact that the Imperial fleet had become dependent on the emperor'sbattle meditation, and their organization and resolve disappeared after he was killed. After the battle, one-fifth of the fleet was destroyed, but was able to rebuild itself when more worlds left theGalactic Empire once word ofEmperor Palpatine's death had spread.

Organization[]

Headquarters[]

The fleet was controlled under the auspices ofFleet Command, the branch of the Alliance military that oversaw all fleet operations. Fleet Command was headed by the admiral of the fleet, which was Ackbar for the entire history of the Rebellion. While Ackbar was head of the fleet, he was assisted in command by senior officers, who each were responsible for components of the navy. Due to the importance of the fleet to the Alliance, Fleet Command was considered one of the most important Supreme Allied Commands.

Fleet Command
Line Admirals	Starfighter Command	Commander of Fleet Intelligence	Commander of Ordnance and Support
Fleets	Alliance Starfighter Corps	Fleet Intelligence	Ordnance and Support

When the Alliance became theNew Republic, the Rebel Alliance Fleet became theNew Republic Defense Fleet. Also under the New Republic military structure, starfighters were underStarfighter Command.

Tactical organization[]

A Mon Calamari Admiral in the Alliance Fleet.

The Fleet's starships were organized into lines of battle. Each line of battle was composed of four elements: heavy cruisers, support ships, picket craft, and starfighter squadrons. A battle line's size and composition differed depending on available units or the mission. In practice, the standard line consisted of three heavy warships likeMC80 Star Cruisers, supported by several escort frigates, corvettes and starfighter wings. Yet, battle lines ranged in size from as few as one and as many as ten heavy warships.

By direct order from Mon Mothma, the Rebel fleet was never to have more than one quarter of its forces deployed as roving battle lines, such as the14th Roving Line. All lines were commanded by line admiral appointed directly by Admiral Ackbar, though in reality there were few Alliance admirals. To remedy this, battle lines not possessing of an admiral were commanded by the senior captain of the line's cruisers.

The Fleet also maintained Fleet Regiments to assist in ship security, boarding actions and supplementAlliance and Sector Forces in ground actions. Fleet Regiments wore gray coveralls, black vests and white streamlined blast helmets.

The Fleet also maintainedmarines for ship-to-ship defense and assault when two ships engaged in one-on-one combat or for tactical assault on a key ship.

Units	Composition
Individual Fleet	Fleets were composed of three to six battle groups and were led by a line admiral.^[5]
Battle Group	Battle groups consisted of two to four squadrons, and were mostly theoretical due to the Alliance being rarely spare as large of a single detachment. In practice, battle groups were maintained by a few Allied Commands, and were commanded by line admirals.^[5]
Squadron	Squadrons are the most typical Alliance fleet detachment, and are made up of three to four sections working in a concert, including a line of capital ships supported by a section of escort ships and a flotilla acting as a picket line. Squadrons are commanded by either a senior captain, a commodore, or aline admiral.^[5]
Section/Flotilla	Sections were forces encompassing a small number of starships, typically light capital ships working alongside and commanded by the senior captain in the section. Sections that are made up of capital ships and close support vessels as "flotillas" in reference to ancient seagoing tradition.^[5]
Elements	Elements are a force encompassing a single starship, commanded by a captain.^[5]

Individual task forces also existed of various sizes with perhaps the largest beingRebel Command Fleet under the direct command ofAdmiral of the Fleet Ackbar.

Battle tactics[]

The Alliance Fleet was known for its use of several battle tactics, many of which were very different than those of theirImperial counterparts. For instance, while the Empire stressed quantity over quality, preferring to useweak unshielded craft to beat down opposition through sheer numbers, the Rebels used strong, multi-purpose, shield- and hyperdrive-equipped craft.

Ackbar Slash[]

Main article:Ackbar Slash

A group of Starships using the Ackbar Slash against a group of — A group ofMon Calamari Starships using the Ackbar Slash against a group ofStar Destroyers

TheAckbar Slash was aspace warfare tactical maneuver devised byAdmiral Ackbar. It involved a fleet's ships forcing their way into the middle of an enemy formation. The desired result was that, with enemy gunners running a high risk of shooting their own forces, they would be hesitant to fire. The ships in the middle would have no such risk, and be able to cause higher damage to their enemy. If the enemy ships did choose to fire, the risk of friendly fire still worked to the advantage of the attacking fleet.

Rogue Doctrine[]

Main article:Rogue Doctrine

Rogue Doctrine was the name given to the three battle tactics designed byLuke Skywalker andRebel Alliance tacticianBeryl Chiffonage, with help fromRisiev Credal, for use by theT-47 airspeeders stationed atEcho Base on theplanet Hoth.

Attack Pattern Delta[]

Main article:Attack Pattern Delta

The first tactic involved a group of snowspeeders attacking anAT-AT in a single-file formation in order to give the enemy gunners a single target. After reaching optimal firing range, the lead speeder would fire before breaking off. With the AT-AT only able to track one target at a time, the remaining speeders would have a clear shot at the walker.

Bantha Decoy[]

Main article:Bantha Decoy

The second tactic was a variant of a trick used once used by Luke Skywalker to targetbanthas in hisT-16 skyhopper on his homeworld ofTatooine. Two speeders would approach a walker from behind while flanking it. The lead speeder would cut across the walker's line of sight to draw its fire, while simultaneously veering across the second speeder's flight vector, which would then expose the vulnerable neck of the AT-AT to the second speeder

Harpoon and Tow Cables[]

Main article:Power harpoon launcher

The harpoon and tow cable method used during the Battle of Hoth.

The third and final method used the harpoons and tow cables of the T-47 to entangle the walker's legs, which would trip the massive AT-AT, bringing its own weight crashing down upon itself. This plan of attack worked most effectively during theBattle of Hoth, during which several AT-ATs were brought down using this method.

Space Denial[]

Main article:Space denial

Due to the expense of keeping starfighters operational and the lack of resources available to the Alliance in comparison to their enemies, space denial was the only viable alternative to wresting control of space from the Empire.Space denial was a means by which the Rebellion could deny the free movement ofImperial forces within Imperial-controlled space without significant protection, thus it was never meant to take and hold territory. The strategy behind space denial focused on small units of starfighters, usually at thesquadron level, operating from hidden bases established near known Imperial supply routes and employing hit-and-run tactics and convoy harassment.

Scissors Technique[]

Main article:Scissors (tactic)

The scissors was a very difficult, timed maneuver aimed at bringing an attackingstarfighter into the sights of the defending craft during adogfight. The move, consisting of sharp, twisting turns, was generally executed immediately after the attacker overshot during a head-to-head engagement or following a successfulbreaking maneuver.

Trench Run Defense[]

Main article:Trench Run Defense

Trench Run Defense (TRD) was an anti-capital ship tactic modeled after the success ofRebel Alliance starfighters against theFirst Death Star known as thetrench run.Rebel pilots colloquially referred to targets vulnerable to the tactic as being susceptible to"Trench Run Disease".

Pilots facing large starships would fly very close to the surface of a ship's outer hull, using trenches to avoid enemy fire. Starfighters could thus deliver their payload with impunity to sensitive ship segments, assuming a successful escort against enemy starfighters.

Ships[]

Capital ship classes[]

"Our cruisers can't repel firepower of that magnitude!"

―Admiral Ackbar at the Battle of Endor — 20?cb=20250116042720

Link ▶️(file info)^[4]

Space stations[]

Although the Alliance Fleet was small, it did possess some space stations. Throughout the Galactic Civil War, it utilizedAlliance Space Stations, of which it had five levels of design. They also had someDeep Space Manufacturing Facilities. In addition, they also utilizedRebel Platforms andRepair Yards. They also utilizedTelgorn shipyards. They also used theXQ1,XQ2,XQ3,XQ4,XQ5, andXQ6 Platforms.

During the Galactic Civil war the Rebel Alliance also managed to procure their ownEmpress-class space station.