The glider pilots immediately controlled the glider towards the Eben-Emel Fortress. When the Junkers transport plane turned back after putting down the glider, the Belgian anti-aircraft gun position discovered them and fired at them, alerting the defenders that there was a presence in the area. Gliders appear, and they land at designated targets.
"You bastard, you've been discovered!" Captain Kirk cursed in his mind. Looking at the commandos who were frightened by the anti-aircraft weapons launched by the Belgian defenders, Captain Coker had to keep a calm expression. Captain Coker also knew that these commandos could not be blamed, because this battle The operation was originally to capture the Eben-Emel Fortress through a surprise attack. If the Belgian defenders discovered it, even ten commandos would not be able to capture the Eben-Emel Fortress.
Seeing their commander being so calm, the commandos slowly calmed down. But they don’t know that Captain Cork is also very nervous now. It’s not that Captain Cork is afraid of death. There are many kinds of death. If he dies in battle, it is of course a worthy death, but if he is hit like a target by anti-aircraft fire in the air, If so, Captain Kirk would definitely be unwilling to do so.
However, as the Junkers transport plane flew away, the Belgian anti-aircraft artillery troops also stopped shooting, and Captain Coker finally put his heart into his stomach. Then he waved his hand, indicating that it was safe now and the battle could begin!
Captain Kirk originally expected that in order to overcome the impact of the headwind, he would have to be prepared to fly for 8 to 10 minutes longer. But I didn’t expect that it happened to be a tailwind that day, and the wind was much stronger than what the weather station predicted. As a result, we flew to this place 10 minutes earlier than expected. In order to make this surprise attack a complete success, the original plan was for the commandos to open fire at the Eben Emmel Fortress five minutes before the launch of the general attack. However, this idea can no longer be realized.
However, since these glider pilots were all selected veterans, they still maintained their formation as planned, flew over their respective targets, and began to dive silently at a large angle.
At this time, the Belgian defenders at the Eben Emmel Fortress were also paying close attention to the surrounding situation, because they also knew that the Eben Emmel Fortress was also a thorn in the side of the German army. Once a war started, it would be the first battlefield here. . Therefore, they have been paying close attention to the movements in Germany. As the situation becomes more and more tense, this alert becomes more and more obvious. However, the Belgian defenders do not know that this time their opponents do not come from the ground, but from the ground. in the sky.
Obviously, the Belgian defenders did not learn the lessons of the German paratroopers' surprise attack on Oslo that happened only a month ago. Maybe they thought that the Belgian army with 22 divisions was much stronger than the Kingdom of Norway. In short, the Belgian army did not put their eyes on the sky at all.
But to say that the Belgian army was unprepared would be an injustice to them. Two hours before the start of Operation Sickle, that is, at 3:10 a.m. on May 10, the commander of the Eben Emmel Fortress, Major Jotrand, received a message from the 7th Infantry Division headquarters to "be on strict alert." " made the call and immediately ordered the troops to enter a war-ready state. The surveillance post looked out from the armored bunker from time to time, closely monitoring the dark surroundings. Two hours passed peacefully, and the sky began to light up slightly. Suddenly, fierce anti-aircraft gunfire came from the direction of Maastricht on the Dutch border. In the bunker of Eben Emel Fortress, Belgian gunners were ready for battle with anti-aircraft guns. They thought it was a German bomber coming to attack here, but after listening carefully for a long time, they did not hear the sound of the aircraft engine.
But Major Jotrand was always occupied by a sense of uneasiness, always feeling that something was going to happen today. After thinking for a long time, Major Chotland still ordered, "Order the garrison to closely monitor the situation in Germany. The Germans are very likely to launch a surprise attack on us today!"
"Major! There's no need for this! The Eben Emmel Fortress can't be breached at all!" Major Jotland's deputy, an officer with the rank of lieutenant, said.
At this moment, the glider took advantage of the twilight sky to quietly enter from the side and land. The nine gliders of the assault team that captured the fortress' surface position glided and landed one after another at a predetermined location on the top of the overgrown fortress. Due to the deceleration device, the aircraft only taxied 20 meters after landing. The Belgian sentries watched these ghost-like "giant birds" suddenly land in front of them. They were all stunned and did not even sound the alarm.
All nine gliders assigned to the Steel Group landed next to the Feldweisert Bridge at 5:20 in the morning. The gliders stopped quickly and successfully due to the barbed wire entangled in the landing area around the glider wheels. Ten of Concrete Group's 11 gliders landed on the Fronhoven Bridge at 5:25 am. All ten gliders assigned to the Flatiron Group carrying the airborne troops were able to land next to their intended target of the Cannes Bridge.
Captain Kirk, who had landed, immediately turned on the radio: "Finally, we no longer need to control the situation for fear of being discovered!" This is the inner portrayal of Captain Coker's heart at this time. But he didn't think about it for too long. The battlefield with shrapnel flying across the battlefield immediately brought Captain Coker back to reality.
"Detachments, please report back if we land safely!" Captain Kirk called.
"Captain Kirk, Lieutenant Gustav Ultraman replied, the Steel Group has landed safely!" Gustav Ultraman was the first to answer.
"Captain Kirk, the Concrete Group has landed safely, and the Iron Group has landed safely!" Then the news came from the two detachments!
"Soldiers, the war has begun!" Captain Kirk gave a concise battle order.
Following Captain Kirk's order, the four groups immediately jumped into the battle. The commandos and pilots rushed down from the glider. Although there was no direct commander, several team leaders led the well-trained teams to immediately start the assault as scheduled. Led by engineers carrying a large amount of explosives, they rushed towards the blasting target. To cover the attack, several men threw smoke grenades.
Rumble... In an instant, the first explosion resounded throughout the fortress - this was the only alarm heard by most of the guarding troops. Immediately afterwards, the commandos used grenades and explosive packs to destroy turrets, bunkers, and tunnel entrances one by one in quick succession, and fired with submachine guns. One fortress artillery was destroyed, and some Belgian soldiers raised their hands fearfully.
The explosion also woke up the commander of the Eben Emmel Fortress, Major Jotland. Major Jotland immediately stood up and looked at the German commandos in the battle, and said angrily, "These Germans actually came from Comes from the sky, damn it!”
"The Germans are coming, boys! Fight me!" Major Jotland immediately ordered.
Following the order of Major Giotrand, the Belgian garrison, which was in chaos, gradually began to calm down and began to organize a counterattack. However, in just a few minutes, the Cork Commandos had completely taken the initiative. These carefully selected commandos were like machines performing the work they had been training for several months.
The most important part, the granite group that attacked the Eben Emel Fortress, was commanded by Captain Coker and the group leader, Lieutenant Rudolf Witsch. After just a few minutes of fighting, they blew up and destroyed the top of the fortress. With all the artillery and military installations available, the commandos took control of the surface positions of the fortress.
The defenders, who could not see the situation outside and were confused by the huge explosion, were in a panic and were helpless. They could only guess what happened above. At this time, the only combat activities on the top of the fortress were the organized blasting carried out by the commando engineers to open up the tunnel network.
"Major Jotland," a soldier hurriedly ran in and said anxiously, "The surface position of the Eben Emmel Fortress has been lost! I am trapped here now, with the guards of the three bridges. The troops have lost contact!”
"What?" Major Jotlande sat motionless on the chair with a pale face. It took him a long time to recover and shouted, "Report to the superiors quickly and ask for support!" After saying this, Major Jotlande seemed to have collapsed. Still staring straight at the ceiling.
All nine gliders assigned to the Steel Group landed next to the Feldweisert Bridge at 5:25 in the morning. The gliders stopped quickly and successfully due to the barbed wire entangled in the landing area around the glider wheels. The glider belonging to Lieutenant Ultraman landed a certain distance from the bridge, while the second one landed directly on the Belgian bunker in front, where the airborne troops began firing with small arms.
The noncommissioned officer commanding the troops on the second glider threw a grenade at the bunker, while his men placed another explosive in front of the bunker's door and detonated it so that the attacked bunker could no longer become an obstacle. Meanwhile, Altmann gathered his troops and led them along the ditch parallel to the bridge until the two men were able to reach the canal bank and climb to the bridge, dismantling the explosives placed there by the Belgian defenders. Airborne troops prevented the bridge from being destroyed.
Ten of Concrete Group's eleven gliders landed on the Fronhoven Bridge at 5:15 a.m. The eleventh glider was hit by anti-aircraft fire while gliding towards the bridge and was forced to land prematurely on Dutch territory. The glider was heavily fired by heavy anti-aircraft guns when landing. One of the gliders was hit and paralyzed in mid-air. Three airborne troops were seriously injured during the emergency landing, but the remaining soldiers on the glider were unscathed. The remaining gliders landed undamaged.