The Spectacular Capture of Fortress Eben-Emael (Belgium, 1940)
Вставка
- Опубліковано 6 чер 2024
- The Belgian fortress Eben-Emael was considered impenetrable, with its heavy defences and a 1200 strong garrison. Yet on May 10th 1940, with the invasion of Belgium, the Netherlands and France, it merely took several dozen German paratroopers (Fallschirmjäger) to capture the fort.
This Blitzkrieg was meant to overpower Belgium, the Netherlands and France in a surprise attack, preventing their military from properly responding. The Belgian village Eben-Emael lies in the province of Luik, not far away from the Dutch border. Nearby this village lies the similarly named fortress. Completed in 1935, its goal was to guard the vital bridges at the junction of two crucial waterways: the Albert Canal and Maas River. Fortress Eben Emael was the stronghold that both the Germans targeted for capture, and the Belgians and French counted on to resist a German assault… The thing is, the German plan to capture the fortress relied on the use of Fallschirmjäger, or paratroopers. This new elite unit of soldiers dropped from gliders and had to wreak havoc behind enemy lines.
Yet when the unit that was meant to capture the fortress, Sturmgruppe Granit, started training, nobody had any idea what their mission or target was… for months. And the unit itself consisted of just 85 Fallschirmjäger, so any rumours that they were to capture the best-defended fortress of Belgium, manned by 1200 Belgian soldiers… well, it would be quite rich if that really was the case, considering they would be outnumbered 14:1… Yet that was the case, and the battle of Fort Eben Emael was one of the most spectacular missions of that fateful day Germany launched its offensive towards its Western neighbours.
Consider supporting HoH:
►Join this channel to get access to perks:
/ @hoh
►Patreon: / houseofhistory
►Paypal: www.paypal.me/HouseofHistory
►Check out my blog: www.houseofhistory.co
►My blog: www.HouseofHistory.co
►My Twitter: / oscar_hoh
My videos tend to get arbitrarily demonetized. That is why I decided to open up a Patreon where people can support the channel. If you decide to pledge as little as 1$/month you will gain access to a monthly series exclusive to my Patrons!
Chapters:
0:00 Introduction
1:37 Fort Eben-Emael
4:12 Preparing the Assault
8:37 Assault on Eben-Emael
Watch my documentary series:
►History of Prussia playlist: • History of Prussia
►End of Empire - Downfall of the Qing Dynasty playlist: • End of Empire - China'...
►World War 2 playlist: • World War 2
►Hitler's Spies playlist: • Hitler's Spies
The content of this video covers events, people or concepts via a lecture-style presentation that is educational and historical in nature. Every video is original content by House of History. The events relating to conflict in this video are portrayed in their historical context without either value judgment or an ideological message attached to it. There is no intent to shock, upset or disgust. The goal of my channel is to make interesting lecture-style videos, no more, no less.
Thank you for taking the time to check out House of History, I hope you will find the films informative, interesting and enjoyable!
If you have any feedback, questions or criticism feel free to leave a comment. Your opinion truly aids me in improving the content of the channel! If you have a question, feel free to leave a comment and I will either write a reply, answer your question in a Q&A video, or make an entire video about it!
Sources:
Written by House of History
Photos, paintings and imagery: Public Domain, Wikicommons
#HouseofHistory #History #WW2
The volunteer organization that runs the fortress used to have clean up days twice a year. The first would be to get ready to open to the public in spring. The second was to get ready to close the fortress for the winter season. I was fortunate enough to live nearby (Einighausen, NL) and go a help on these volunteer days. I am proud of the small contribution I made to help keep this historical fortress safe for the public.
Visited Eben- Emael, impressive!
Another wonderfully informative video. I knew the basics of the fall of Eben-Emael to glider forces but the details you supplied regarding the building of the fortress and then the German planning, training and finally the assault really brought the story to life. Considering 55 Germans forced the surrender of 1200 Belgians, I have to imagine part of the Germans success was due to massive confusion, poor communications and lack of information on the part of the Belgians. Had they KNOWN they were only facing 55 men and been ABLE to coordinate a massive counterattack, the story might have been different. Still, regardless of political beliefs, it is hard to not admire the courage and resourcefulness of those German paratroopers.
As an aside, I don't know if the Germans actually used dummy 'paratroopers' armed with fireworks in this action, but I read in "The Longest Day" that the British did actually drop rubber dummies armed with fireworks as a diversion to draw German troops away from the early drop zones of the 'pathfinder' units.
I finally find an historic UA-camr that talks about Eben-Emael and the Fallshirmjager. No one (well, more like atleast 10 You Tubers talk about the Fallshirmjager). Thank you so much for this content.
Only recently stumbled upon this channel. It is excellent!
Welcome aboard, thanks!
One of the best presentations I have seen out there, when it comes to WWII battles. Outstanding job!
I never heard about this and once again you were able to put together a very interesting and informative episode! Thanks again for your hard work!! I look forward to seeing your future work!! Hope you and your family is staying safe and healthy! 👍🤘😷
I live near this place and I always love to visit the ford. It's such an impressive piece of history. Thankyou for making this interessting video about the battle that was fought here, there are never enough videos about this one :)
My pleasure!
We learnt about this in school actually years ago. Another interesting topic House of History! Keep it up!
Small world isn't it?
Best wishes for 2021.
Hello neigbour
Thanks
Nice to see you here! Love your videos. Cool to know that you're interested in history.
A superb discourse. Excellent job! 👍😎
Superbly done fine Sir❕👍🏻👍🏻👏🏻
Remember reading about this in my teens in Scotland around late 1960 to early 1975. Good read
Great video!
My favorite SF operation of all time.
How did 85 fight against 1200, best army ever
The Knights with Parachutes.
Great story mate. 🤘
Your pronunciation of the province's dutch/flemish name "Luik" was impeccable. However, as the province is in large majority french-speaking, I myself would have used the the French name "Liège". Yes, the city has the same name as the province, both in French and in Dutch/Flemish.
I have visited the fort and the damage done to the inner door via a shaped charge was amazing. Trouble is it blew up the stairs to so the Germans couldnt get back down.
Well done!
R.H.S. Stolfi's bio on Hitler has a large portion of a chapter dedicated to how he obsessed over this fortress by studying everything about fortifications and artillery before finally settling on the method described here.
Oscar you put a mug on a book again, are you trying to offend people?. Seriously though great videos.
I wonder how it was to fight there inside the bunker
"If Eben Emael was to be captured in a traditional way, with infantry assaults, the Germans would have suffered an immense amount of casualties." That is not an underestimation.
Yes it is
👍
Fun Fact: Lower Saxony is actually mostly above Saxony.
it' about elevation
Just to half correct.
Its Liège, not Luik. Luik is the flemmish version due to linguistic conflict in belgium. But the common name at an international level AND historical one is Liège. It's also the name use (and used) by the inhabitants of the city and the area (In wallonia).
Saying Luik isnt false though, just a far less used one and one that is playing into the inner conflict of belgium. Also you are using Liège later, so It could lead to confusion.
Thanks for your comment, I wasn't aware of this discussion and different usage of its name being such a touchy subject. In the Netherlands the city is referred to as Luik, and the only reason I referred to it as Liège was because it was addressed as such on the map I used. Thanks for sharing it!
@@HoH I didnt know Luik was refered as Luik in the netherland too.
Then that explain.
It's not that touchy, just very hard to explain to people outside of Belgium that Luik and Liège are the same city. Same as always, that linguistic conflict is related to all complicated things in Belgium (I'm living in Brussels since a while now, but I'm not from Belgium)
Luik is just the Dutch translation for Liège, it has nothing to do with politics.
Beautiful city! When I was a student I went to Brussels with my girlfriend to visit the European Parliament and interview a MEP (for a magazine we were editors at). I have fond memories of the city.
@@robhyn5909 Well, in belgium, it does though (less today than before, but i does have a political origins)
5:39 German Falschirmjäger doing the Michael Jackson anti-gravity lean before it was cool 😂
Fun fact ive been in it its a museum
Your pronunciation of names, whether Germanic, French or Slavic, is impeccable. May I ask your nationality? Obviously, I’m American ... and in typical American fashion, I’m a mix of European nationalities. I’m Belgian (from Liege/Luik 🤣, Brussels and the Province of Hainaut). I’m Dutch (from Delft and Maastricht). I’m also English, French, German, Swiss, Austrian and Danish. My guess is that you must be from The Netherlands, because you pronounce Netherlands like all of the people I’ve met from there ... but until today, I thought you were German because I discovered your channel while researching Prussia.
That's quite a family history! I am Dutch indeed, good guess.
@@HoH aha ... my favorite country! I hope you do some more videos about our shared homeland ... maybe about Willem the Silent/the Stadtholder or Michiel de Ruyter or Corrie ten Boom from a WW II perspective. I read her autobiography when I was in school and visited her home in Haarlem when I was in The Netherlands a few years ago. Well, I’m happy with whatever subjects you choose. I’m just really enjoying your channel. Thanks again. Have a wonderful day!
@@toddbonin6926 In two weeks I am uploading a biography on Hannie Schaft! And this Friday I'll upload my first '3D' map animated video. It was quite a thing to learn the basics about even, but being able to animate maps will expand the number of topics I can cover. I will definitely delve more into 16-17th century Dutch history now that I'm able to portray events with maps!
@@HoH fantastic! I can’t wait.
I heard that one of the German Paratroopers just before this assault loaded up his canteen with Schnapps and during the assault this Paratrooper got drunk and started playing around with some of the bug guns inside this fortress. Needless to say his behavior was not appreciated by his comrades. After the assault and when every man in the unit was receiving a medal for their assault. This lone Paratrooper didn't receive any medal. A just punishment if you ask me.
you did hear that where exactly?
@@augustiner3821---I heard that on a historical documentary I watched about this very assault.
@@brokenbridge6316 hmmmm, nothing for confirmation.
@@augustiner3821---Believe it or not. I don't care. I'm done talking to you.
Another surprise parachute and glider attack didn’t work out. The capture of three airfields around The Hague in the Netherlands with the Dutch queen and government as target failed with high lossen of these specialised parachutists and many Ju 52 transport planes. Also very interesting 😀😀
I like your shirt
Ha, being informed just how elite you and your buds are then learning you're tasked to do a style of mission never before attempted against a far more substantial force. Talk about conflicting emotions of pride and fear.
I don't think I've ever seen any WW2 gliders still in existence from any country
Of cause do they exist - even the dfs 230 used for Eben Emael
And it is pretty easy to find those with google if you simply check wikipedia for ww2 gliders of an army or the wehrmacht and look for the most produced models. then type a google search for "museum dfs 230" and you will find what?
a german junkers Ju 52 as tow plane and the glider dfs 230, the type that was used in eben emael and in Crete in the Wunstorf museum cause the dfs 230 was a workhorse with 1400 build.
www.ju52-halle.de/de/exponate/lastensegler-dfs-230
The Museum in Gatow Berlin offers a replica accoding to Wikipedia
de.wikipedia.org/wiki/DFS_230
And I guess you will find a lot more gliders from other nations that way that had been mass produced in a museum around Caen / Normandy or Arnheim or in Britain if a tiny museum in Wunstorf Germany has to offer such a glider.
Just found the GO 242 , a far bigger successor and mass produced too, together with A DFS 230 in this museum
www.luftfahrttechnisches-museum-rechlin.de/exponate-der-erprobungsstelle.html
@@typxxilps perhaps if you words you will maybe understand the meaning of what I said better. I didn't say they don't exist and there aren't any left. I said I haven't seen any. Maybe if you check Google dictionary it will help you to decipher what I thought was a simple post to understand
Great narration of a really intetesting moment in WW2!