This build was entered into the 1939-40 GB. As a par of the GB, the host had asked for some background information to the builds. For me, this was rather complicated. Due to the interest shown, and several people saying they had not heard of this, I have decided to include that write up here. While I tried to keep it as short as possible, I wanted to include as much information as I thought would be of interest. It turned out to be somewhat longer than I had thought it would. I apologise now for the length. I have included some links for those who may wish to read more. Please feel free to scroll down to the pics at the bottom if you so wish.
The Belgium Forts
After the Franco Prussian war of 1870/71, Belgium, believing that their two larger neighbours would be at war with each other again and Belgium's neutrality would not be respected, decided to defend it territory with a series of Forts. Between 1888 and 1891, they built 6 large forts and 6 smaller fortins around the city of Liege, which was on the invasion route from Germany. The forts designer, General Henri Brialmont also recommended another fort to be built close to the small village of Eben Emael. When this was rejected, he said 'Belgium would weep tears of blood for not having built this fort.
A major problem with fixed positions such as forts as they are a product of their time, and it is not easy to predict the advances of warfare. In 1914, they were put to the test. The forts had not be designed to deal with the artillery that was now in use. The Germans had built 420mm Howitzer, named Big Bertha, to deal with these forts.
Big Bertha
But even before these big guns got into action, the first forts had already fallen to German guns. The forts design, and the use of unreinforced poor quality concrete, was simply no match for the German weapons. Liege fell after just 11 days, though it did delay the German advance into France.
Battle of Liege
After the Great war had ended, Belgium decided to try the idea of Forts once again, but this time learning the lessons of 1914. As well as rebuilding 8 of the old forts, designated as PFL II, they proposed 4 new major forts and 2 smaller one's (PFL I). But the 2 smaller forts were later dropped and one of the larger ones had not yet been funded in Sept 1939. The most important of these new forts would be that at Eben Emael. It would, claimed the Defence Minister Albert Diveze, be able to withstand the pounding of the heaviest artillery.
Eben Emael's location took advantage of the Albert canal. The canal was built between 1930 and 1939. The canal runs for 80 miles from Antwerp to Liege and cut the river journey time from 7 days to 18 hours. At the Liege end of the canal, it is linked to the Meuse river by a 1,300m long channel, known as the Castor Cutting. This formed a moat with 40m high walls of rock on the side of the fort facing Germany.
After the Great war had ended, Belgium decided to try the idea of Forts once again, but this time learning the lessons of 1914. As well as rebuilding 8 of the old forts, designated as PFL II, they proposed 4 new major forts and 2 smaller one's (PFL I). But the 2 smaller forts were later dropped and one of the larger ones had not yet been funded in Sept 1939. The most important of these new forts would be that at Eben Emael. It would, claimed the Defence Minister Albert Diveze, be able to withstand the pounding of the heaviest artillery.
Eben Emael's location took advantage of the Albert canal. The canal was built between 1930 and 1939. The canal runs for 80 miles from Antwerp to Liege and cut the river journey time from 7 days to 18 hours. At the Liege end of the canal, it is linked to the Meuse river by a 1,300m long channel, known as the Castor Cutting. This formed a moat with 40m high walls of rock on the side of the fort facing Germany.
Albert canal
image below shows the Caster cutting taken from the southern end. The shear wall on the left is the eastern side of the fort. Along the bottom edge of this wall you can see one of two bunkers built to counter any attempt to cross the canal, this one being Canal Sud. On the right are the Lanaye locks, beyond which are the Meuse River.
The Fort covers an area of 163 aces and is 900m north to south and 800m at the widest point east to west. This German recon photo show the large area of open ground that is the rook of the fort. To the right is clearly marked the Albert canal. Along the top edge of the foot is a water filled anti tank ditch. The circle numbered 1 and 2 are various positions on the roof of the foot. That on the bottom right corner, above the letter n in the word Graben, is Cupola Nord, the main objective of Squad 8.
The fort mainly comprises a series of tunnels dug into the limestone. These tunnels connect the various positions on the roof. The only entrance to the fort is at Bloc 1, this is approx. 60m below the highest parts of the fort.
The roof of the foot comprised 17 cupolas, casements and bloc's (machine gun bunkers). This were split into offensive and defensive batteries. The heaviest weapons in the fort were two 120mm guns in one revolving cupola. But so as not to provoke the Germans, the government had ordered that no guns capable of firing into Germany itself should be fitted. There was also 2 revolving retractable cupola's each fitted with 2 75mm guns, one of these was Cupola Nord. There were also 4 casements each holding 3 75mm guns; these could all fire over an arc of 70 degrees. For defence, there were 3 machine gun bunkers which covered the roof of the fort. 2 more bunkers at the bottom of the caster cut and 5 bunkers with 60mm AT guns and MG's to cover the approach's to the fort and the AT ditch. There were also several false positions which the Germans had failed to identify as false. For AA fire, there were 4 open pits fitted with MICA machine guns close to Bloc IV.
When Belgium built the canal, they of course needed a means of crossing them. They built bridges 3 bridges and in times of need, these could be defended from bunkers and prepared positions and also supported by fire from Eben. The bridges were precisely plotted so the guns could quickly be trained onto them.
The Belgium's incorporated lessons learned from 1914. These include the spreading out of the fighting positions, protection for the ammo magazines and the ability to seal off any part of the fort. But in 1932, little thought had been given to the idea of troops landing on the roof of the fort. There was little barb wire and no trenches. AA defences were light because it was felt the small emplacements, well blended into the terrain, would be difficult to hit and no bombs could penetrate the armour. The fort defence was also left in the hands of the artillery troops who had no training in infantry tactics.
The garrison was supposed to have comprised at just over 1300 men. These included 300 support staff. The 1,000 men who manned the guns were split into two shifts of 500 and served in the fort for 1 week at a time. This was due to it being considered unhealthy and detrimental to moral to serve for long periods underground. The shift not on duty was located 6km from the fort, but had no allocated transport. The support staffs were located in barracks outside the fort entrance and in the village of Eben Emael. But due to under manning, sickness etc., the garrison strength on 10th May 1940 was just under 900. In April 1940, a regiment of the 7th Infantry Div was ordered to take up position along a 9km front on the Albert canal.
In 1914, the Belgium forts failed to cope with the modern weapons of war. In 1940, the Belgium's believed that their new forts were capable of withstanding any artillery bombardment. On 10th May, they would be put to the test.
This link gives some more information on both the pre and post WW1 forts.
Liege Forts
Assault from the Air
The idea of soldiers going into battle from the sky was not new in 1940.In 1784, Benjamin Franklin had said
"Where is the prince who can afford so to cover his country with troops for its defence, so that ten thousand men descending from the clouds might not, in many places, do an infinite deal of mischief before a force could be brought together to repel them?"
In 1917, Churchill had suggested dropping troops behind German lines. In 1918, Major Lewis Brerton and Brigadier General Billy Mitchell proposed dropping some of the US 1st Inf Div behind German lines near Metz. This was planned for early 1919, but of course the end of the war in Nov 1918 put paid to this idea After the war, several nations considered the idea of airborne troops. The first true para drop was conducted by the Italians in 1927. The USSR had also been working on the idea of dropping large formations. During large scale military manoeuvres in 1935, witnessed by a number of foreign observers, the Soviets dropped almost 2,000 men by parachute. The Germans took great interest in this and began looking into the idea themselves. At first a number of groups attempted to raise an airbourne force, which resulted in confusion. Eventually, General Kurt Student was put in charge of this new force, which meant that unlike in many nations where airbourne troops are a part of the army, in Germany, the Fallschirmjäger belong to the air force. Though Goring had already created an airbourne force earlier in 1935, the Soviet display must have given this more impetus. The parachute arm was inaugurated in Jan 1936. In April 1940, for the first time in history, troops dropped into battle from the air, when the Fallschirmjäger took part in the German invasion of Denmark and Norway. In May 1940, they were in action again. Parachute troops dropped into action in the Netherlands. And in Belgium, another element to airbourne warfare was added.
After WW1, the victorious allies imposed the treaty of Versailles on Germany. Amongst other measures, Germany was banned from having a military air force. But even before Hitler came to power, the German government were secretly developing and testing aircraft with the co-operation of the USSR. In addition to this, the Government encouraged the sport of glider flying. This was seen as a way to train lots of men to fly for any future German air force and become very popular. It has been said that by WW2, Germany was the most air minded nation in the world. This not only gave Germany a large number of trained pilots, it also gave them lots of experience in the design, building and flying of gliders. With the creation of an airbourne force, the Germans included gliders alongside the parachute troops.
The DFS 230 assault glider was developed in 1933. Unlike allied gliders used later in the war, the 230 could not carry vehicles or large equipment. With the single pilot and 9 troops on board, it could carry upto 270kg of equipment. For the assault on Eben, the numbers of troops carried was reduced from between 7 and 9 so heavier loads could be carried. The troops, crammed in a fuselage just 0.7m wide, sat astride a bench which ran the length of the fuselage. They could exit either through the cockpit of door at the back. later modifications included a MG position on top of the fuselage behind the cockpit, a door on the left in front of the wing and for the rescue of Mussolini in 1943 from the Gran Sasso, braking parachutes were fitted.
In Oct 1939, Kurt Student was summoned to a meeting with Hitler in Berlin. During the meeting, Hitler stressed that the German airbourne force, still untied in battle, should be used in a decisive time and place and to employ every resource available. Knowing that the swift capture of the new bridges over the Albert canal was vital for the swift movement of German forces into France, and to avoid the delays imposed in 1914, Hitler told Student that the airbourne force, which had not seen action in Poland, would certainly see action in the west. he also showed Student air photos of the fort at Eben, noting its large open grassed areas, he asked student, who had a personal interest in the development of the DFS 230, if his men could land on the fort and storm the works. The following day, Student told Hitler he believed they could.
Student quickly formed an assault force under the command of Hauptmann Walter Koch. Quickly, the force, named Sturmabteilung Koch, took shaped. Formed from elements from Koch's own I/FJR I and the Pioneer platoon from II/FJR I, led by Oberleutnant Witzig. Over time, the force was split into 4 smaller units. Sturmgruppe's Eisen (iron), Stahl (Steel) and Beton (Concrete) were tasked with seizing and holding the bridges at kannes, Veltwezelt and Vroenhoven respectively. Finally, Sturmgruppe Granit (Granite), commanded by Witzig, was to seize and hold the Fort at Eben and destroy any guns that would be a threat to the bridges.
Rudolf Witzig
Granite was divided into 11 squads. Squads 1 to 9 each had one primary and between 1 and 3 secondary objectives. Squads 10 and 11, the latter led by Witzig, were reserve squads. Preparation for the assault was conducted in the utmost secrecy. The troops were not fully briefed on their target until a few hours before the mission. And one of the keys to the success of the attack, the hollow charge munitions, were not shown to the troops until they were equipped for the raid.
Shaped Charge
The use of these weapons and their effects came as a surprise not only to the allies, but also to the German troops using them. The effects on the outside seemed minor, while on the outside, they could be devastating.
At 4.25 on the morning of 10th may 1940, the Ju 52's towing the gliders of Granite, began taking off. But things did not begin well. The tow cable on Witzig's glider snapped after the towing Ju 52 was forced into a steep dive to avoid a collision. The glider was brought down in a field, and ordering his men to prepare a rough landing strip, Witzig set off to get an aircraft. He and his squad arrived at Eben 2 hours after the rest. The glider of squad 2 was released early and too low to reach the objective. It was forced to land near Duren. The first gliders touched down on the fort at just before 4.30am.
Battle of Eben Emael
Squad 8, commanded by Sergeant Unger, tasked with the destruction of Cupola Nord, landed approx. 30m from their target. The squad immediately come under fire from Belgium troops in a building on the roof of the fort. This building was a maintenance facility in which tools were stored for carrying out repairs on the guns and other facilities. This inflicted the first casualty, when Meyer was hit in the shoulder while exiting the glider. While Unger and 2 other moved off to destroy Cupola Nord, two others headed to the building to silence the guns, and these were covered by the squads MG gunner. Unger's team managed to detonate a 50kg device on the roof of the cupola followed by a 12.5 kg device on a side door as Unger was concerned this could be used to launch a counter attack. This smaller device blew in the door and collapsed the rook, blocking the entrance. Meanwhile, the other team exploded a 3kg charge against the building causing so much trouble, and this silenced the fire from there. Soon after a shell, possibly from pole Sud, exploded and killed Unger.
The rest of the assault squads were meanwhile dealing with their own objectives. There is far too much detail to go into here. But in short, while a few of the forts guns were able to fire on German forces trying to cross the remains of the kanne bridge, the only one of the three that the German airbourne forces was unable to take in tact, the assault on the fort and the subsequent crossing of the Canal and drive into Belgium and France were a success. The battle at the fort continued through the night of 10/11th May. An hour after the gliders had landed, the first support had arrived in the shape of Ju 87 dive bombers. Just before midday on the 11th, companies of Infantry regiment 151 arrive don the scene. Soon after, a white flag was seen at the forts entrance.
During the battle, Granite lost 6 men killed and 18 wounded. Every enlisted man, bar one, was awarded the Iron Cross 1st class and promoted one rank. The one exception was Grechza. He had filled his water bottle with rum believing he could use it to help the wounded. But in the heat of battle he drank the lot himself. He got no promotion and an Iron Cross 2nd class. The forts defenders suffered 21 dead and 61 wounded.
The Officers of Sturmabteilung Koch all received the Knights Cross, presented by Hitler on the 16th May.
The attack on Fort Eben Emael is, in my opinion, largely over looked and even forgotten. It has to be one of the most stunning small unit operations of WW2 and rivals anything conducted by Allied forces. The fort itself is now a museum open on select weekends through the year. It is certainly on the list of my must see places to see.
Eben Emael museum website
Now to the photo’s of the completed diorama.
First, let me introduce Squad 8, Assault Group Granite.
Here, we see Squad leader Unger (KIA) along with Hooge (WIA) and Hierlaender heading to their main objective, Cupola Nord. They are armed with a 50kg and 12.5kg hollow charge devices and a Bangalore torpedo.
Next, Weinert has deployed his MG 34 and is putting down fire on the maintenance building that was firing on the German troops. behind him, armed with an MP 40,m is the pilot, Diestelmeier.
Meanwhile, Else (WIA) and Plitz move under cover of the MG fire towards the building.
And finally, Meyer (WIA) having been hit in the shoulder while leaving the glider, is laying under the wing.
Thanks for looking and as always all comments welcome. And again, sorry for the long thread, but I hope some may have found it of interest.