Like any other man out there, I too was enamoured by Major General Maximilian Veers exploits during the Galactic Civil War as a 15-year old boy. General Veers always fought at the front, he wasn't involved with any of the racial and genocidal aspect of the war that was happening elsewhere in the galaxy and General Veers always appeared to me as a true gentleman rather than a hardcore Vader follower and the best general that Vader ever had at his disposal.

Recently however, I've been reading that Veers wasn't as talented as the history books I grew up with told me and that the major reason for the Imperial victory was surprise, shock and weak rebel forces. Ecca Nurt in his "A People's History of the Galactic Civil War" also points out that troops under General Veers' command committed atrocities against surrendering rebel forces - a view completely opposite to the "war without hate" which I have been seeing the battle of Hoth as.

How much of this is contrarian nonsense and how much of this is true? How good of a general was Veers and how did his talent affect the outcome of the battle of Hoth?