Under the command of Artillery General von Küchler, the Eighteenth Army, guided by the armored forces, tore apart the fragile defense line of the Belgian defenders. The forward troops reached the outskirts of the Eben-Emel Fortress at lightning speed, but due to the The movement caused was too great and was discovered by the Belgian army, which was temporarily sniped on the periphery, further exposing the Soldering Iron Group's raid.
While the airborne troops who captured the Eben Emel Fortress were still conducting an assault, a large number of German Stuka dive bombers had arrived. They bombed and strafed the roads leading to the fortress, blocking all access to the fortress. access, cutting off foreign aid. When Ghotland discovered that the top of the fortress had been occupied by the Germans, he organized a rear attack and requested fire support from artillery near the fortress. Neighboring bunkers responded immediately and artillery fire began. However, the "Stuka" dive bombers soon discovered the muzzle flames of these artillery pieces, concentrated their efforts, and quickly destroyed these artillery bunkers and artillery pieces. After dawn, a field artillery battalion of the Belgian 1st Army arrived near the Eben Emel Fortress, preparing to bombard the German troops on the fortress. However, before it could enter the shooting position, its cannons were easily blown up by German dive bombers. destroyed.
The frequent arrival of the Stuka dive bomber wing prevented Captain Coker's commando from having to face the attack of the numerically superior Belgian army for the time being. With the only force at hand, Captain Coker successfully blocked Eben. ·Major Joutland's garrison forces inside the Emmel Fortress attempted to rush out and join the Belgian reinforcements.
Major Jotrand organized several counterattacks in the fortress in an attempt to drive the German troops away from the fortress, but they were unsuccessful. So he had to limit his efforts to preventing the German airborne troops from invading. Although the fortress lost most of its artillery, the underground defense system and canal trenches around the fortress were connected together. The Germans could not approach from above, and the two sides were in a stalemate.
Major Jodland was anxious in the tunnel command post. Only then did he realize that the firing directions of all the turrets and machine gun fire points of the tunnel fortifications were limited to the front and bottom of the surrounding areas, and there was nothing they could do against the enemies at the top! There was a huge explosion overhead, leaving it helpless, and the German engineers began to destroy the fort fortifications. A fortress that had been in operation for more than 20 years and was known as an indestructible fortress lost its combat effectiveness in the hands of Captain Coker.
At 7 o'clock, the second echelon of the German commandos arrived, and 300 paratroopers successfully parachuted to the top of the fortress, strengthening the assault force. While these paratroopers were airborne, the German army also dropped fake paratroopers in a vast area 40 kilometers deep west of the Albert Canal. These fake paratroopers were straw men wearing German military uniforms, with umbrellas tied to their bodies. In order to simulate the sound of gunfire, self-igniting explosives were also installed on the fake paratroopers. When these fake paratroopers were airborne, they did play a role in disrupting the Belgian army. They had to deal with these new enemies who appeared behind them; Reinforcements from Fort Mer.
From 8 o'clock, the 1st Howitzer Regiment of the Belgian Army moved to the north of the Eben Emel Fortress and launched a fire attack on the German airborne troops on the top of the fortress. However, under the attack of Stuka dive bombers, the artillery regiment's attack failed and was defeated. Subsequently, the 7th Division of the Belgian Army organized an infantry battalion to advance towards the fortress in preparation for a counterattack. The German "Stuka" dive bombers immediately turned back and bombed and strafed the battalion, making it impossible to approach the fortress.
At 8:30, a glider unexpectedly appeared over the fortress. It landed on the top amidst the cheers of the German troops above the fortress. The person who jumped out of the glider was Lieutenant Weziger, Captain Kirk's deputy. Originally, Lieutenant Weiziger had always been Captain Coker's deputy, because Captain Coker was in danger during the battle. Before the attack, Captain Coker specifically designated that if he died in battle, Lieutenant Weziger would command the battle. But Lieutenant Weziger had an accident while gliding.
It turned out that after Weizig's glider landed on the grassland near the Rhine River, he immediately ordered his men to build a runway on the grassland. As soldiers worked quickly to knock down fences and clear obstructions, Wetziger stopped a car on a nearby road. Twenty minutes later, he was back at Cologne's Osterham Airport. However, there was no Junkers transport plane there, so we had to call and transfer a plane from another airport to replace it. The aircraft successfully towed the glider from the grass. In this way, Wetziger was able to return to his assault force.
Having achieved their primary objective of disabling the battery's artillery, the airborne troops held the fort against a Belgian counterattack, beginning almost immediately. However, these counterattacks by Belgian infantry units were unsupported by artillery and were uncoordinated, allowing the airborne troops to repel their machine gun fire. The airborne troops were also targeted by artillery fire from several nearby smaller fortresses and Belgian field artillery units, but nothing was accomplished and lacked coordination. Instead, they often assisted the airborne troops in repelling counterattacks by Belgian infantry units.
At this time, the vanguard armored force of the Eighteenth Army had defeated the snipers of the Belgian army and arrived at the bank of the Albert Canal. The commander of the Eighteenth Army, General Kuechler, immediately ordered the crossing of the river. The commando team's battle to seize the bridge was strongly supported by the 88mm cannon of the forward German Aldengo anti-aircraft artillery battalion and dive bombers. The commando team withstood the fierce bombardment of the Belgian army for a whole day after occupying the two bridges. , able to persevere.
Another unit of Army Group B, General Reichenau commanded the Sixth Army, which had 14 infantry divisions and two tank divisions, and launched an attack on Belgium from the front. Since the airborne troops controlled the outside of the Eben Emel Fortress, the fortress' guns and artillery were unable to use firepower to stop the German advance. The German frontal offensive troops successfully broke through the Belgian forward defense line, crossed the Meuse River, and arrived at Eben Emel in the evening of the same day. Burt's Canal east bank, and relieved the commando force that captured the bridge. In the evening, an engineer battalion attempted to cross the canal in front of the Eben Emel fortress, but was stopped by artillery fire from a concealed battery that had not been destroyed by the paratroopers. After nightfall, the German army sent a 50-man engineering team to sneak across the flooded area in a rubber boat and destroyed the hidden fort and several other bunkers.
Among General Bock's Army Group B, General Reichenau's Sixth Army had the heaviest task. The task he received was to advance towards the narrow corridor between Rotterdam and Liege and overcome the Maas River and the well-fortified Albert With the cooperation of the airborne troops, they quickly captured the Eben-Emaar Fortress at the southern end of the Albert Canal and forcibly crossed the canal here. Break through the front between Maastricht and Liege and open the road to Brussels. Heppner's tank corps within the Sixth Army should advance quickly to meet the enemy troops in the area north of the Meuse and Sambre rivers as soon as possible, blockade the north of the Liege Fortress, and cover the flanks of the German westward advancing group. Safety. Reichenau's mission was decisive for the victory of the entire campaign. Whether the forces of the Belgian and Allied armies could be resolutely restrained so that they would soon lose their freedom of movement depended on the speed of the German Sixth Army's actions. Therefore, capturing these bridges is of great significance to the Sixth Army.
After nightfall, the German army sent a 50-man engineering team to sneak across the flooded area in a rubber boat and destroyed the hidden fort and several other bunkers. In the early morning of the 11th, the engineer battalion successfully passed the canal, boarded the fortress, and then, with the assistance of the airborne troops, continuously blasted the reinforced concrete underground fortifications, tunnels, etc. All morning long, the Eben Emel fortress was shaking with the shock of the blasts as Army engineers advanced in depth with flamethrowers and automatic weapons. Sixty people from the garrison were killed and 40 wounded. At 13:15, the Belgian defenders sent negotiators, Major Chotland requested surrender, and the Eben Emel Fortress fell.
The Cork Commando's airborne assault on the three bridges and the Eben Emmel Fortress had been a complete success; the artillery held by the Eben Emmel Fortress had been rendered ineffective, and two of the three designated bridges were under attack. Destroyed by Cork Commandos. The capture of the bridge and the inactivation of the fortress' artillery allowed the infantry and armor of the German 18th Army to advance past the rest of the Belgian defenses and into the heart of Belgium.
The capture of this huge fortress, along with the great honor, filled Captain Cork's mind. At this time, Captain Cork's first reaction was to report the situation to his immediate superior, standing on the edge of the Albert Canal, Watching the two German armies quickly crossing the river in large numbers, Captain Coker said with pride; "Report to the general, the Eben-Emel Fortress has been captured, and the Albert Canal can no longer block the path of the German army!" Captain Coker said He said this to his immediate superior, General Kurt Student.
General Kurt Student was also filled with this huge surprise, but now is not the time to be happy, because General Kurt Student knows that there is someone who is more anxious than himself, and that is now Hit in the Eyrie? Le.
After a while, Hitt was anxious in the Eagle's Nest? Le received a telegram from General Kurt Student and read it in a hurry. Hit? Le looked at the many generals who were very nervous and laughed arrogantly, "The Eben-Emel Fortress was captured by the commandos at a small cost. Now there is nothing on the front line in Belgium that can stop the German tanks." In! Haha..."
After laughing, Hit? Le ordered, "Send the news to Goebbels immediately. Such exciting news will definitely make Germany ecstatic!"