Star Wars
‘Star Wars’: the origin of the Stormtroopers and their link to one of the darkest times of humanity
The infamous soldiers of the Empire represent the oppressive power of the Emperor in Star Wars, but they also were inspired by a dark period in history.
George Lucas took inspiration from many sources to shape Star Wars, the most recognized science fiction saga in the history of cinema. From the origin of Chewbacca to Episode IV sketches, the filmmaker was aware of many warlike elements when shaping both the forces of good and evil. When he built the infantry of the Empire, he looked at the First World War to compare himself with one of the troops that instilled the most fear in his rivals.
The ‘Star Wars’ Stormtroopers were born from one of the elite German troops of World War I
The white-armored, cube-headed soldiers of ‘Star Wars’ were inspired by the shock troops, one of the elite forces of the German Empire in World War I. Trench warfare was the common denominator in all the actors who took part in the war. Each advance, no matter how small, represented a radical change in the tide of battle. Starting in March 1915, when this unit was founded, the group began focusing on moving between them, supplying the front line of combat.
Their equipment was groundbreaking for the conflict. While the bulk of the German army was provided with traditional cloth uniforms, the Stosstruppen were equipped with steel armor and shields that allowed them to increase their survivability from trench to trench. Don’t think about shields like in medieval times: they were simple heavy steel plates that allowed them to advance through ‘no man’s land’ without being shot down. Their equipment also included submachine guns and melee weapons more typical of several centuries ago, such as maces, knives, steel knuckles, and shovels.
As the war continued so did their goal as a unit. They are considered the first modern assault troops. They attacked with terrifying speed for the time. They prepared the attack by besieging the rival position with mortars and grenades and then entering the enemy trench equipped with machine guns, flamethrowers and all the close-range arsenal that we mentioned previously (via Spectacs).
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