Gold Squadron (Rebel Alliance)

Gold Squadron, also referred to as Gold Group, was a starfighter squadron in the Massassi Group rebel cell, the Alliance to Restore the Republic, and eventually the New Republic. The squadron, headquartered on Yavin 4, was commanded by Captain Jon "Dutch" Vander and flew BTL-A4 Y-wing light bombers. The group fought in some of the earliest consequential battles of the Galactic Civil War.

In 2 BBY, during the early days of the rebellion against the Empire, Gold Squadron participated in Operation Handoff to ensure the safety of Senator Mon Mothma of Chandrila, who spoke out against and defected from the Empire. The operation resulted in the formation of the Rebel Alliance. Later, in 1 BBY, Gold Squadron flew in the Battle of Scarif that marked the start of the war and allowed the Alliance to capture the plans to the Death Star superweapon. Not long after, as a result of the events of Scarif, Gold Squadron fought in and was completely destroyed during the Battle of Yavin, which resulted in the destruction of the Death Star.

Later in the war, a reformed Gold Squadron fought in the climactic Battle of Endor under the command of General Lando Calrissian, where they were part of the destruction of the second Death Star. Following the Alliance's victory and the reformation of the Republic, Gold Squadron became part of the New Republic Defense Fleet.

Text and facts from the “Gold Squadron (Rebel Alliance)” article on Wookieepedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0. Modified for this site.