In the early hours of 10 May 1940, the end of the Phoney War was heralded by an audacious assault on the Belgian fortress of Eben-Emael. A glider-borne force of just 70 German troops seized Belgium’s most modern frontier fortification and neutralised its garrison of some 800 men.
Of the eleven gliders that took off from Ostheim in Germany, nine landed with pinpoint accuracy on the roof of the heavily fortified complex, widely believed to be impregnable. In a matter of minutes, the attackers had achieved a stunning victory that helped open the way for German forces advancing through Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg. Through this, and similiar breaches, General Heinz Guderian’s armoured formations would demonstrate to the world the devastating effectiveness of Blitzkrieg.
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| Skeleton of a DFS 230 German Glider |
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| The German gliders at Eben Emael |
The fort bristled with an impressive array of weaponry. Two 120mm guns and sixteen 75mm guns were housed in hardened casemates, designed to cover three bridges along the Belgian border. All three were captured by German glider-borne troops within hours of the assault on the fort. Protecting the main armament, the fort’s roof was studded with anti-tank guns, anti-aircraft guns and machine guns, each installed in purpose-built emplacements.
Our exploration began at the fort’s entrance, deep beneath the gun emplacements on the western side of the complex. The contrast with the nineteenth-century forts around Liège, which were devastated by massive-calibre German siege guns in 1914, is striking. Among these was the famously named Big Bertha, whose enormous shells helped expose the vulnerability of the older fortifications to modern siege artillery.
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| The entrance to Fort Eben-Emael |
The photograph above shows the entrance to the fort, alongside three of the red-shirted volunteers who do an excellent job of interpreting the site for visitors. Unlike the cramped warren of tunnels found in the Liège forts, Eben-Emael had wide, easily navigable access routes and spacious internal passageways. A long entrance tunnel leads to a series of junctions, with contemporary signs directing visitors to the various casemates above.
Most of the garrison’s accommodation, including the underground hospital, was housed in rooms branching off the main thoroughfare. In contrast to the Liège forts, where men had to cross open ground to reach toilet facilities or obtain clean water, Eben-Emael provided these amenities within the protection of the fort’s hardened structure. The facilities even included hot and cold showers, with the showers reserved for the two officers equipped with regulators to control the water temperature.
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| The main tunnel - Eben Emael |
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| Destroyed casement |
The nine surviving gliders reached their targeted landing points, landing on the roof of the fortress and depositing their assault troops within twenty or thirty metres of their objectives. The German glidermen immediately stormed the gun positions and casemates, using 50-pound hollow charges to destroy the fort’s heavy guns. The photograph above, showing the lower section of one of the casemates, illustrates the destructive power of these weapons. Particularly striking are the buckled steel door and the shrapnel marks along the corridor beyond.
Although the fort’s defences were neutralised in approximately twenty minutes, it was another day and a half before the surrounding area was secured by the German 4th Infantry Division, which had crossed the Belgian border waterways to reach the fort. During this period, Belgian ground forces and artillery made repeated but ultimately unsuccessful attempts to dislodge the German attackers. Eventually, the Belgian commander, Major Jean Jottrand, had no choice but to surrender.
The Belgian defenders suffered sixty men killed and forty wounded. The attacking Fallschirmjäger-Sturmabteilung ‘Koch’, meanwhile, lost seven men killed, with a handful more wounded.
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| Fellow battlefield walkers at Eben Emael |
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| Museum exhibits in Eben Emael Fort |
We spent around two hours exploring the fort, taking in its fascinating collection of artefacts and documents, as well as the film-based experiences and interpretive panels that bring its history to life.
Afterwards, we climbed onto the roof of the fort and joined the dog walkers strolling through what is now a peaceful pastoral landscape. The tranquillity is broken only by the concrete and steel cupolas that lurk among the long grass and surrounding bushes, silent reminders of the fortress’s former purpose.
To the east lies a man-made gorge, created in the 1930s to accommodate the Albert Canal. The fort was constructed to protect this strategically important waterway, and much of the spoil excavated during the canal’s construction was used to build up the hill into which the fortress was incorporated.
A pedestrian suspension bridge crosses the canal, and for just a few euros you can walk a few metres across into the Netherlands, enjoying spectacular views along the way.
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| Vroenhoven Bridge |
A short drive away is Vroenhoven Bridge, which crosses the Albert Canal. On the morning of 10 May 1940, the bridge was captured by glider-borne troops under Hauptmann Walter Koch (who had overall command of the German assault on Eben Emael and the three crossings). It was along this route that German ground forces subsequently advanced to relieve the approximately seventy German glidermen who were keeping the fort’s 800-strong garrison pinned down inside Eben-Emael.
The original bridge has since been replaced by a modern structure which, as the photograph shows, incorporates a sun terrace for restaurant diners. Within the eastern abutment is a small museum, which incorporates an original pillbox that was attacked during the fighting on 10 May 1940. This bunker can be seen on the left-hand side of the photograph. Sadly, on the occasion of our visit, the museum was closed for a private event.
My photos of Fort Eben Emael and the Liege ring forts can be viewed here.
