Cold weather assault stormtrooper

**Cold weather assault stormtroopers**, commonly known as **snowtroopers**, were the elite stormtroopers of the Galactic Empire trained and equipped to operate in frigid environments.

The snowtroopers were the successors of the clone cold assault troopers and the Galactic Marines under Clone Commanders Keller and Bacara, respectively, during the Clone Wars.

## Characteristics

Snowtrooper armor was well suited to the climate extremes of frozen worlds such as Hoth, Rhen Var, and Toola. Unlike other troopers, snowtroopers wore a white, rugged body glove, which provided camouflage, and provided thermal insulation from the cold. Over this was an eighteen-piece outer shell altered to include more powerful heating and personal environment units, and an airtight fabric oversuit for additional protection from the cold. To facilitate breathing in extremely cold or dangerous atmospheres, a breather hood enveloped the snowtrooper's faceplate and fed into the suit liner. Each trooper was equipped with terrain-grip boots, a standard utility belt containing high-tension wire, grappling hooks, ion flares, additional blaster ammunition, a survival kit, and ration packs. Their equipment was supplied by the company Garlostar.

Their helmets had built-in polarized snow goggles. The breastplate worn by the snowtroopers was constructed of a plastoid composite armor. Near the center were all of the controls for the completely self-sufficient troopers' life-support systems. These included an external temperature monitor, power cell monitor, and the controls for the suit's heater. The troopers' backpacks housed the main heating unit, main power cell, communications unit, and a homing beacon. The pack also had the ability to work as a power source for other equipment. Snowtroopers could survive up to two weeks in even the harshest frozen environments on their internal suit power and supplies. They also wore white heated pants with pockets.

They were among the few stormtrooper units who had rank insignia plaques on their armor while in the field, as most other stormtrooper units lacked rank insignia plaques and instead wore either distinctive markings or orange pauldrons identifying their rank while in the field, and instead only wore them if they were non-commissioned officers.

Snowtroopers were armed with the standard-issue E-11 blaster rifles of stormtroopers, SE-14r light repeating blasters, two concussion grenades, and one fragmentation grenade. Elite snowtroopers were given the DLT-20A blaster rifle as a replacement for the E-11, and two stun grenades. Snowtroopers commonly employed E-Web heavy repeating blasters.

## History

Imperial cold weather assault stormtroopers were direct descendants of the Clone cold assault trooper part of the last batch of clones made under the Galactic Empire.

Clone cold assault troopers and the 21st Nova Corps fought during the Clone Wars in frigid environments such as Orto Plutonia, Rhen Var, and Toola. Specialized types of snowtroopers included Snowtrooper Scouts, Heavy Snowtroopers, and Arctic Jumptroopers.

Snowtroopers were utilized on many different icy worlds, including the Imperial garrison on the planet Akuria II. Their most notable conquest was at the Battle of Hoth, where the Imperial Blizzard Force defeated the forces of the Alliance to Restore the Republic and overran Echo Base. The Rebel general in charge of Echo Base, Carlist Rieekan, later reflected that the snowtroopers just stepped right in to assault the base fully equipped, when the Rebel Alliance had had to spend months trying to prep their gear for the winter conditions on the planet.

Snowtroopers serving under Captain Magna Tolvan pursued the rogue archeologist Chelli Aphra at the Citadel of Rur.

A unit of 10 snowtroopers, called Baker Company, were deployed to Goratak III to recover an Imperial I2-CG droid before the Rebel Alliance could find it. The contingent was led by a bounty hunter named Feskitt Bobb.

When the Empire located the Alliance to Restore the Republic's base on Hoth three years after the Battle of Yavin, the elite Blizzard Force, led by General Maximilian Veers, were involved in the Battle of Hoth that would later become a major Imperial victory and a major blow for the Rebel Alliance.

Following the fall of the Empire during the Battle of Endor with the deaths of Vader and Darth Sidious, a nomadic unit of hardened snowtroopers led by Commander Sharky served in Gideon's Imperial remnant. Its troopers were hardened, loyal patriots to the Empire and its legacy.