TracesOfWar needs your help! Every euro, pound or dollar you contribute greatly supports the continuation of this website. Go to stiwot.nl and donate!

The Nazis Show Us How They Took Eben-Eymael

The War Illustrated, Volume 2, No. 43, Page 689, June 28, 1940.

Most powerful and modern of the forts of Liége, Eben-Eymael covered more than 200 acres and had an armament of two 12-centimetre guns (about 4.7-in.), over 30 of 6.5 and 7.5 cm., besides a large number of machine-guns, etc. Of its impregnability Belgium's military experts were convinced, and yet only a few hours sufficed for its capture by the Nazis. At first it was said that their parachutists descended on the cupola and threw hand grenades into the interior, but these photographs, reproduced from the German publication "Die Wehrmacht", prove rather that it was the severity of the aerial bombardment, combined with the mines laid by the parachutists, which broke the garrison's resistance, thus enabling picked storm troops to take the fort by assault. A Belgian soldier wounded in the defence of the fort confirmed the main outlines of the story.

Historical context, by the webmaster

The fort is obviously misspelled here, it Fort Eben-Emael. Unfortunately we were not able to reproduce the pictures with this article.

Index

Previous article

The R.A.F. Strike and Strike Again at Germany

Jun1940

The R.A.F. Strike and Strike Again at Germany

After the withdrawal of the British Expeditionary Force from Flanders it fell mainly to our Air Force to aid the French in slowing down the German advance. One of the chief objectives was the destruct

Read more

Next article

I Was There! - How I Escaped as a Belgian Refugee

Jun1940

I Was There! - How I Escaped as a Belgian Refugee

An R.A.F. Fighter Command pilot who rejoined his squadron on June 5 had been posted as missing for nearly a fortnight. After his Hurricane fighter was shot down he made his way across Belgium disguise

Read more