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Glider assault on Eben Emael as an archetype for ... - Boekje Pienter

Glider assault on Eben Emael as an archetype for ... - Boekje Pienter

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if needed, attacked objectives of missing squads. Once that w<strong>as</strong> completed, the glidermen <strong>as</strong>sumed<br />

h<strong>as</strong>ty defensive positi<strong>on</strong>s to defeat <strong>an</strong>y counterattacks by the Belgi<strong>an</strong> soldiers in the <strong>for</strong>t.<br />

Within 20 minutes of l<strong>an</strong>ding, all of the critical offensive weap<strong>on</strong>s of Fort <strong>Eben</strong> <strong>Emael</strong> were rendered<br />

inoperable; however, this did not me<strong>an</strong> that there w<strong>as</strong> no l<strong>on</strong>ger a threat from the <strong>for</strong>t or from<br />

outside Belgi<strong>an</strong> rein<strong>for</strong>cements. The Belgi<strong>an</strong> comm<strong>an</strong>der, Major Je<strong>an</strong> Fritz Lucien Jottr<strong>an</strong>d, called <strong>for</strong><br />

other Belgi<strong>an</strong> units to fire artillery <strong>on</strong> his <strong>for</strong>t to kill the Germ<strong>an</strong> glidermen, which caused havoc <strong>on</strong><br />

the <strong>for</strong>t's surface. The incoming fire caused the glidermen to seek cover in the knocked out<br />

c<strong>as</strong>emates. The results of the l<strong>on</strong>g, hard training paid off <strong>as</strong> Serge<strong>an</strong>t Wenzel automatically <strong>as</strong>sumed<br />

comm<strong>an</strong>d in Lieuten<strong>an</strong>t Witzig's absence. He directed other squads to attack remaining targets,<br />

org<strong>an</strong>ized a h<strong>as</strong>ty defense, <strong>an</strong>d reported the missi<strong>on</strong>'s status to Hauptm<strong>an</strong>n Koch. He also directed<br />

airstrikes from Stuka dive bombers against rein<strong>for</strong>cing Belgi<strong>an</strong> units. With extraordinary<br />

determinati<strong>on</strong>, Lieuten<strong>an</strong>t Witzig w<strong>as</strong> able to comm<strong>an</strong>deer <strong>an</strong>other tow aircraft to recover his glider<br />

outside of Cologne after his tow rope broke enroute to the <strong>for</strong>t; at around 0630 hours Witzig's glider<br />

finally l<strong>an</strong>ded inside <strong>Eben</strong> <strong>Emael</strong>.<br />

The pl<strong>an</strong> called <strong>for</strong> 'Gr<strong>an</strong>ite' to destroy the <strong>for</strong>t's offensive batteries <strong>an</strong>d hold the <strong>for</strong>t <strong>for</strong> four hours<br />

until relieved by the troops of 4th Armored Inf<strong>an</strong>try Divisi<strong>on</strong>. Dutch <strong>an</strong>d Belgi<strong>an</strong> resist<strong>an</strong>ce delayed<br />

the battle h<strong>an</strong>dover until May 11 at 0830 hours though--24 hours later th<strong>an</strong> pl<strong>an</strong>ned. During this<br />

prol<strong>on</strong>ged stay <strong>on</strong> the <strong>for</strong>t, the glidermen parried multiple counterattacks <strong>an</strong>d m<strong>an</strong>aged to keep the<br />

Belgi<strong>an</strong> artillerymen c<strong>on</strong>tained within the subterr<strong>an</strong>e<strong>an</strong> c<strong>on</strong>fines of the <strong>for</strong>t, <strong>as</strong> well <strong>as</strong> keep<br />

rein<strong>for</strong>cing Belgi<strong>an</strong> units at bay from the tort by using air strikes. A total of 78 Germ<strong>an</strong> glidermen<br />

l<strong>an</strong>ded <strong>on</strong> the <strong>for</strong>t <strong>an</strong>d <strong>for</strong>ced the capitulati<strong>on</strong> of the Belgi<strong>an</strong> garris<strong>on</strong> of 780 men in the world's<br />

str<strong>on</strong>gest <strong>for</strong>t at a cost of four Germ<strong>an</strong>s killed <strong>an</strong>d 12 wounded. Two elements provided the key to<br />

success: the combat glider <strong>an</strong>d the hollow charge. Without either of these elements the seizure of<br />

<strong>Eben</strong> <strong>Emael</strong> would have cost much more in hum<strong>an</strong> lives <strong>an</strong>d altered the attack routes <strong>an</strong>d time<br />

schedule of Pl<strong>an</strong> Gelb.<br />

Perhaps the success at Fort <strong>Eben</strong> <strong>Emael</strong> set a false precedent <strong>for</strong> the Germ<strong>an</strong>s. A year later, the<br />

Germ<strong>an</strong>s took <strong>an</strong>other huge gamble of sending a large-scale airborne inv<strong>as</strong>i<strong>on</strong> of the isl<strong>an</strong>d of Crete.<br />

"Although 15,000 Germ<strong>an</strong> airborne troops defeated a <strong>for</strong>ce almost three times their number, the<br />

Germ<strong>an</strong>s lost 5,000 killed <strong>an</strong>d wounded <strong>an</strong>d a large number of aircraft," Mzarek said. This<br />

bittersweet victory caused a dr<strong>as</strong>tic curtailment of glider <strong>an</strong>d parachute operati<strong>on</strong>s. Gr<strong>an</strong>ted, some<br />

glider operati<strong>on</strong>s c<strong>on</strong>tinued such <strong>as</strong> the rescue of Benito Mussolini at Gr<strong>an</strong> S<strong>as</strong>so <strong>an</strong>d emergency<br />

resupply operati<strong>on</strong>s in Russia, North Africa, <strong>an</strong>d E<strong>as</strong>tern Europe towards the end of the war, but the<br />

Germ<strong>an</strong>s never attempted <strong>an</strong>other large-scale glider <strong>an</strong>d parachute attack.<br />

U.S. <str<strong>on</strong>g>Glider</str<strong>on</strong>g> Development<br />

The highly successful Germ<strong>an</strong> operati<strong>on</strong> did not go unnoticed by the Western Allies; both Great<br />

Britain <strong>an</strong>d the United States did not have a military glider program when Sturmabteilung Koch<br />

attacked <strong>Eben</strong> <strong>Emael</strong> in 1940. N<strong>on</strong>etheless, the Allies learned much from the Germ<strong>an</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g><strong>as</strong>sault</str<strong>on</strong>g>. One of<br />

these less<strong>on</strong>s w<strong>as</strong> the success of vertical envelopment. Instead of the traditi<strong>on</strong>al method of searching<br />

<strong>for</strong> <strong>an</strong> <strong>as</strong>sailable fl<strong>an</strong>k by ground m<strong>an</strong>euver, aircraft <strong>an</strong>d gliders were used to deliver men, weap<strong>on</strong>s,<br />

<strong>an</strong>d equipment from above, opening a new dimensi<strong>on</strong> to ground comm<strong>an</strong>ders. Sec<strong>on</strong>d, gliders<br />

surprised, shocked, <strong>an</strong>d stunned defenders which gave the glidermen a temporary adv<strong>an</strong>tage to<br />

overwhelm defenders.<br />

The Allies saw there were limits to glider operati<strong>on</strong>s, but a combinati<strong>on</strong> of paratroopers <strong>an</strong>d<br />

equipment- laden gliders would prove to be highly successful. Next, the Allies built up<strong>on</strong> the c<strong>on</strong>cept<br />

of combining airborne <strong>for</strong>ces to seize key objectives <strong>an</strong>d terrain to pave a corridor <strong>for</strong> follow-<strong>on</strong>

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