Clone paratrooper

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"Did you find Kenobi?"
"Sir… No one could have survived that fall."

―Cody and a clone paratrooper^[1]

Clone paratroopers, also known as airborne clones, were specialized clone troopers trained for airborne operations in the Grand Army of the Republic. In the waning days of the Clone Wars, the paratroopers of the 212th Attack Battalion's 2nd Airborne Company served as front line assault units in the Battle of Utapau. Following a failed attempt to execute Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi as a result of Order 66, Clone Commander Cody ordered a group of paratroopers to search for the missing body of their former general. The troopers failed as Kenobi survived and escaped from the planet.

History[]

In 19 BBY, approximately three years after the start of the Clone Wars, the Galactic Republic and the Jedi Order launched a military invasion of Utapau.^[1] Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi was chosen by his colleagues on the Jedi High Council to lead the campaign. As a result, the 212th Attack Battalion was deployed to the Separatist-occupied planet. Among the 212th's infantry was a force of clone paratroopers^[1] from the 2nd Airborne Company.^[2] The fight between Jedi General Kenobi's battalion and General Grievous' droid army commenced with a direct assault by standard troopers^[1] while the paratroopers descended from the LAAT/i gunships to the front lines of the battle.^[3]

212th-control-Utapau — A clone paratrooper reports to Commander Cody in the aftermath of the Battle of Utapau.

The fighting continued after the destruction of Grievous as both regular troopers and paratroopers fought the battle droids for control of Pau City. When Kenobi attempted to lead the battalion in clearing the city's upper levels of the remaining droid forces, Supreme Chancellor Sheev Palpatine issued Order 66 to the Grand Army of the Republic, causing the clone soldiers to become hostile towards their Jedi officers. Following an attempt to eliminate Kenobi, the paratroopers were tasked by their commander, Cody, to search for the general's body. Their search failed to produce any evidence of Kenobi's death, although at least one paratrooper was convinced that the Jedi Master perished when he fell into the sinkhole of Pau City. The trooper was wrong, however, as Kenobi survived the fall and escaped from Utapau using the late Grievous' starfighter.^[1]

When Phase I Purge Trooper armor was used by the Empire after Order 66,^[4] Purge Troopers who served under Darth Vader and the Inquisitorius to help combat Jedi wore helmets and armor similar to that of paratroopers.^[5]

Equipment[]

Clone sharpshooter — Some clone paratroopers served as snipers.

Clone paratroopers wore a modified version of the Phase II clone trooper armor, that featured a kama and a unique, "beehive" helmet.^[3] They were equipped with DC-15A blaster carbines and DC-15A blaster rifles.^[1]

Some paratroopers served as snipers. These troops worked with clone medics and Heavy Gunners.^[6]