Belgia 1940 - Fort Eben-Emael conquest

Fort Eben-Emael (ransk. Fort d’Ében-Émael) oli Belgian puolustuksen tärkein linnake Liègen ja Maastrichtin välillä, jonka tehtävä oli suojella Belgian ja Saksan välisiä strategisesti tärkeitä rajasiltoja.

Linnake rakennettiin vuosina 1932–1935 suunnilleen Hochwaldin linnakkeen periaatteiden mukaisesti ja se käsitti neljäkymmentä panssarikupolia. Aseistuksena linnakkeessa oli kaksi 120 mm. ja yli kolmekymmentä 60–70 mm:n tykkiä ja kaksikymmentä raskasta kaksoiskonekivääriä sekä lukemattomia pikäkivääreitä ja 15 valonheitintä. Linnoitusta pidettiin valloittamattomana.

Natsi-Saksa aloitti Ranskan valtaukseen tähtäävän operaation 10. toukokuuta 1940. Eben-Emael oli ensimmäisiä kohteita, joihin saksalaiset iskivät. Linnakkeen valloitti nopeasti hyvän suunnittelun ja valmistelun seurauksena saksalaisen laskuvarjojääkäriosasto, päällikkönsä kapteeni Kochin johdolla. Yliluutnantti Rudolf Witzigin oma liitokone joutui tekemään pakkolaskun Saksan puolelle Stukan hinausvaijerin vaurioiduttua. Hän sai uuden hinauksen mutta myöhästyi, tehtävä oli jo suoritettu. 

Varapäällikön johtamat 78 saksalaista laskuvarjojääkäriä laskeutui liitokoneilla linnakkeeseen, jota vartioi yli tuhannen belgialaisen sotilaan joukko. Saksalaisilla oli mukanaan ontelokranaatit, joilla sai tehtyä reiän vahvoihin bunkkerien seinämiin, joista sitten työnnettiin sisään räjähdysaine joka tuhosi koko kasematin. Lyhyen taistelun jälkeen belgialaiset antautuivat huomattavasti pienemmälle vihollisjoukolle, ja Saksan joukot saattoivat edetä sisämaahan sekä valtaamaan koko Belgian ja sieltä käsin kiertämään pelätyn Maginot-linjan. 

Hyökkäys oli täysi yllätys ”puolueettomalle” Belgialle kuten myös liittoutuneille. Saksan joukot valloittivat maailman nykyaikaisimman linnakkeen muutamassa päivässä 70 jääkärin ja 40 pioneerin voimin, kärsittyään vain viiden miehen tappiot kaatuneina. Vastaluolen tappiot olivat 30 kaatunutta (toisten tietojen mukaan 100) ja antautuneina 1 200 miestä.
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Battle for Fort Eben Emael
Part of the Battle of Belgium in the Second World War
Date 10–11 May 1940 Location Fort Eben-Emael, on the Dutch-Belgianborder, near the Dutch city ofMaastricht. 50°47′50″N 5°40′51″E Result German victory: fort captured
Belligerents
Belgium	Germany
Commanders and leaders
Jean Jottrand	Walter Koch
Strength
1,200+ (estimated)	493[
Casualties and losses
60 killed 40 wounded 1,100 captured (estimated)	43 killed 99 wounded

Battle of Fort Eben-Emael
      
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Fort Eben-Emael (French: Fort d'Ében-Émael) is an inactive Belgian fortress located between Liège and Maastricht, on the Belgian-Dutch border, near the Albert Canal. It was designed to defend Belgium from a German attack across the narrow belt of Dutch territory in the region. Constructed in 1931–1935, it was reputed to be impregnable and at the time, the largest in the world. The fort was successfully neutralized by glider-borne German troops (56 men) on 10 May 1940 during the Second World War. The action cleared the way for German ground forces to enter Belgium, unhindered by fire from Eben-Emael. Still the property of the Belgian Army, the fort has been preserved and may be visited

Fort Eben-Emael was a greatly enlarged development of the original Belgian defence works designed by General Henri Alexis Brialmont before World War I. Even in its larger form, the fort comprised a relatively compact ensemble of gun turrets and observation posts, surrounded by a defended ditch. This was in contrast with French thinking for the contemporary Maginot Line fortifications, which were based on the dispersed fort palmé concept, with no clearly defined perimeter, a lesson learned from the experiences of French and Belgian forts in World War I.

The new Belgian forts, while more conservative in design than the French ouvrages, included several new features as a result of World War I experience. The gun turrets were less closely grouped. Reinforced concrete was used in place of plain mass concrete, and its placement was done with greater care to avoid weak joints between pours. Ventilation was greatly improved, magazines were deeply buried and protected, and sanitary facilities and general living arrangements for the troops were given careful attention. Eben-Emael and Battice featured 120mm and 75mm guns, giving the fort the ability to bombard targets across a wide area of the eastern Liège region.

Eben-Emael occupies a large hill just to the east of Eben-Emael village, bordering the Albert Canal. The irregularly-shaped fort is about 600 metres (2,000 ft) in the east-west dimension, and about 750 metres (2,460 ft) in the north-south dimension. It was more heavily armed than any other in the PFL I. In contrast to the other forts whose main weapons were in turrets, Eben-Emael's main weapons were divided between turrets and casemates. The 60mm, 75mm and 120mm guns were made by the Fonderie Royale des Canons de Belgique (F.R.C.) in the city of Liege.

Block B.I - entrance block with two 60mm anti-tank guns (F.R.C Modèle 1936) and machine guns.
Blocks B.II, B.IV and B.VI - flanking casemates located around the perimeter ditch to take the ditch in enfilade with two 60mm guns and machine guns.
Block B.V - similar to II, IV and VI, with one 60mm gun.
Cupola 120 - one twin 120mm gun (F.R.C Modèle 1931) turret, with a range of 17,5 km. There were also three dummy 120mm turrets.

Cupola Nord and Cupola Sud - each had one retractable turret with two 75mm guns (F.R.C Modèle 1935), with a range of 10,5 km.
Visé I and IÍ - each house three 75mm guns, facing south.
Maastricht I and II - each house three 75mm guns, firing north in the direction of Maastricht.

Canal Nord and Sud - were twinned blocks housing 60mm guns and machine guns covering the canal. 'Sud' was demolished when the canal was enlarged.
'Mi-Nord and Sud' are machine gun blocks (mitrailleuses) in the main surface of the fort. They were crucial in defending the top of the fort.

'Block O1' overlooks the canal and guarded the Lanaye locks. It housed a 60mm gun and machine guns.

Underground galleries extend over 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) beneath the hill, connecting the combat blocks and serving the underground barracks, power plant, ammunition magazines and other spaces.

Fresh air was obtained from intake vents over the canal.