Turret Sud Bloc V Fort Eben-Emael

In the southwest of the fort is bloc V, on which turret Sud is located.

One of the 3 turrets that the fort counts. The turret is equipped with two 75 mm rapid-fire guns. Furthermore, the bunker (block V) is equipped with a 60 mm antitank gun, a machinegun and a searchlight.

The antitank gun is located on the ground floor. On the 1st floor was the machine gun with the searchlight next to it. Centrally located above the gun opening and searchlight opening was a small observation turret. This observation turret was equipped with a periscope, still visible, in retracted position (see foto 4). The direction of fire is toward the tank trench (photo 5).

During the battle of the fort on May 10th and 11th, a 50-kg hollow charge was also placed on this turret. This caused no major damage on the outside. See photo 1 and 2. The place was not painted black until later years. But there was damage from the inward, explosion, pressure wave and vibration to the space under the turret.

One of the two guns was disabled by the explosion of the hollow charge. The other was temporarily out of action, but the crew of bloc V managed to get the gun and turret operational again. The gun was able to fire at several positions held by the Germans until the fort was surrendered.

The damage done by the hollow charge was camouflaged after the capture. From the looks of it, the hole the hollow charge hit was sealed with concrete. The camouflage served to conceal the Germans' new secret weapon.

Even now almost 100 years after the fort was built, the dome and reinforced concrete emplace

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Source

• Text: Ed Lewandowski
• Photos: Ed Lewandowski
• La Position Fortifiée de Liège, Coenen & Vernier
• Eben-Emael, I. Kemp