Battle of Hoth: Why didn't they bombard from space?

Why didnt they(the imps)just destroy the rebel base from the air, with there super star destroyers? Instead of using all the ground forces.

 

IIRC it was stated that there was a sheild around the base and they had to land beyond it.
Please correct me if i'm wrong

 

(grr, stupid index doesn't seem to have anything on this )


"Com-Scan has detected an energy field protecting an area around the sixth planet of the Hoth system. The field is strong enough to deflect any bombardment.", General Veers

And apart from TIE's really bad atmospheric flight abilities, the shield also preventes fast-moving craft from penetrating it, so no fly-low bombing runs either.

 

The Imperials could have waited one year and destroy the whole planet of Hoth with the Death Star II.

 

One word - SHIELD: That is why the Imperials send walkers in the first place, to destroy the generator.

 

Exactly! The planet Hoth was covered by a shield that was provided by the
shield generator at the rebel base. Only the slow moving AT-AT's could get through the planetary shields to destroy the generator, so Vader and the rest of the troops could land.
The battle droids vs. the Gungans in TPM was the same thing....
Cannon fire would'nt make it through, but slow moving battle droids could
penetrate the shield much easier.

The real question is why could'nt the Star Destroyers just creep through the shields?
Something had to drop off the AT-AT's as well.

 

I'm pretty sure the landing craft dropped the AT-ATs off outside the shield and the AT-ATs walked through. But a better comparison for the Hoth shield would be the Endor one, as both had to be opened to allow ships to pass through.

 

Well sort of but not quite right.

The shield was only covering a small section of Hoth, the walkers were dropped off via drop ship where there was no shield and simple walked to the base.

 

Fair enough, they could have waited, but would you have waited if you'd had Lord Vader breathing down your neck to find "young Skywalker"???

Perhaps more importantly, we should consider the purpose of the attack on Hoth - destruction wasn't the only motivation, was it? Capture was also driving this mission.

Angus

 

I believe there was a pretty powerfull shield protecting Echo Base that prevented such an attack. I thought that was pretty much common sense.

"ComScan has detected an energy shield protecting the sixth planet of the Hoth system. The shield is strong enough to deflect any bombardment." - General Veers

 

All right thanks, I was just thinking about this the other day and all the battles of the clone wars and why they werent just navy, i forgot about shields.

 

"ComScan has detected an energy shield protecting the sixth planet of the Hoth system.
The shield is strong enough to deflect any bombardment." - General Veers

 

Actually I'd underline the "deflect any bombardment" part if I really wanted to post the quote for the fourth time

 

I always though Veers said "an area of the sixth planet of the Hoth system"

 

ooops.... I mis-quoted, I believe, anyway....

 

Could someone tell me some reasons why the Rebels were forced to evacuate.What were their weaknesses.

 

The shield and also Vader wanted Luke alive.

 

I think their weakness was that the Empire sent out A bunch of huge imperial walkers that were going to blast the shield generator apart allowing the imperial fleet to do anything they wanted to Echo base.

When they actually took down ONE of the Walkers, like, 100 Rebel troops went running after it.

They clearly didn't have a solid plan except escape.

Carnage

 

It wasn't so much a matter of weaknesses, though the rebel force there was no doubt outgunned.

The Rebels were forced to evacuate once their presence on the planet was discovered. Even if the Imperials had sent down a puny force that could easily be defeated by the rebels, the Rebel Alliance still would have evacuated the planet. The planet was important in that it was very remote and it at least temporarily provided a secret location for the Rebel HQ. Once that secrecy was lost the planet no longer had any strategic value to the rebellion. It was a rock not worth defending. So from the very moment it becomes discovered the rebel plan is to fight a delaying action until they can evacuate most of their important personnel.

 

The shield was protecting the Rebel base, so they couldn't attack from space. It's the same situation in TPM. With the Gungans protected by the energy shield, the battle droids were forced to march through the shield to engage them.

 

The Imperials arrived out of light speed to close to that planet in the Hoth system in an act to surprise the rebels, but that only alerted the rebels to the Imperial presence. So the rebels were able to activate their defense Shields, forcing the Imperials to do a ground assualt. Once the sheild was down they couldve blown up the base but by then the rebels had already begun the evacuation, and Imperial Troops were in the base, Lord Vader included.

The Rebels, as stated above, were only on Hoth to hide. Once the base is discovered there only option is to evacuate and meet up at the rendevous point. Regroup and find another place to hide and make a base.\


INTERIOR: VADER'S STAR DESTROYER -- VADER'S CHAMBER -- MEDITATION CUBICLE

The dark cubicle is illuminated by a single shaft of light
which falls on the brooding Dark Lord as he sits on a raised
meditation cube. General Veers enters the room and approaches
the silent, unmoving Vader. Although seemingly very sure of
himself, Veers is still not bold enough to interrupt the
meditating lord. The younger general stands quietly at
attention until the evil presence speaks.

VADER: What is it, General?

VEERS: My lord, the fleet has moves out of light-speed. Com-Scan has
detected an energy field protecting an area around the sixth planet of
the Hoth system. The field is strong enough to deflect any
bombardment.

VADER: (angrily) The Rebels are alerted to our presence. Admiral Ozzel
came out of light-speed too close to the system.

VEERS: He felt surprise was wiser...

VADER: He is as clumsy as he is stupid. General, prepare your troops
for a surface attack.

VEERS: Yes, my lord.

Veers turns smartly and leaves as Vader activates a large
viewscreen showing the bridge of his mighty ship. Admiral
Ozzel appears on the viewscreen, standing slightly in front of
Captain Piett.

OZZEL: Lord Vader, the fleet has moved out of light-speed, and we're
preparing to...Aaagh!

VADER: You have failed me for the last time, Admiral. Captain Piett.

Piett steps forward, as the admiral moves away, slightly
confused, touching his throat as it begins to constrict
painfully.

PIETT: Yes, my lord.

VADER: Make ready to land out troops beyond the energy shield and
deploy the fleet so that nothing gets off that system. You are in
command now, Admiral Piett.

PIETT: Thank you, Lord Vader.

Piett's pleasure about his unexpected promotion is not an
unmixed emotion. He glances warily at the struggling Admiral
Ozzel who, with a final choke, stumbles and falls in a
lifeless heap before him.


Edit: quotes from ESB

 

"Common Sense is the prejudices one acquires by age 18"
-EInstein.

COmmon Sanse is not good. Also, the novelization says a clean bombardment is impossible, and Vader wanted Luke alive, Vader could BDZ the planet considering the size of the Imperial Fleet

Star Wars Battle analysises, which I typed. HOth is in there, for more inquiries and this is getting updated

Some of the posts might be offensive, but here it is. I can't find it here

https://www.totse.com/bbs/Forum10/HTML/004771.html

 

Yeah their was a shield around it so they couldn't just attack it from the
air which would have been alot easier and I dont think the rebel's would
haved stationed their if that had happened.

 

Veers says that ComScan detected a shield protecting an area of the sixth planet.

 

Or for that matter, couldn't vader order the Executor to just RAM the shield? I'm sure with a ship of that firepower and magnitude, it would slice through the shield.