Unternehmen Danzig, Sturmgruppe Granit, The Assault on Fort Eben Emael, Part 2

On the morning of May 10th, 1940, as German armour rolls west, DFS 230 assault gliders descend on the roof of Fort Eben Emael, the most modern fortress in Europe. Ten Gruppen of Sturmgruppe Granit, under Oberleutnant Rudolf Witzig, set down on the grass of the superstructure with hollow charges of up to fifty kilograms, flamethrowers, MP 38s and grenades. Their objectives are the heavy artillery cupolas, the machine-gun blocs, the anti-aircraft position and the observation posts of a fortress designed to break any attack coming from the ground.In this second part of our coverage of Sturmabteilung Koch, we follow each Gruppe across the superstructure. We watch Feldwebel Niedermeier and Leutnant Delica at Maastricht 2, Feldwebel Arent at Maastricht 1, Feldwebel Wenzel at Mi Nord, Feldwebel Haug at the anti-aircraft position and later at Cupola 120, Oberjäger Unger at Cupola Nord, Oberjäger Neuhaus at Mi Sud, Feldwebel Harlos and Feldwebel Heinemann at the northern turrets, and the reserve under Feldwebel Hübel. We follow the missing Gruppe 2 under Walter Meier, forced down inside Germany, as it tries to reach the fort overland. And we follow Oberleutnant Witzig himself, whose tow rope parts over the Rhine and who sets out by bicycle and requisitioned staff car to get back to his battle.We see the fight from inside the fort as well, through the eyes of Major Jean Fritz Lucien Jottrand, Sergent Joris at Cupola Nord, Sergent Cremer at Cupola 120, Sergent Poncelet at Maastricht 2 and Sergent Gigon at Maastricht 1, as Belgian gunners confront a new kind of warfare they have never trained to fight. Junker 87 dive bombers wait on call overhead. Belgian guns from Forts Pontisse and Barchon turn on their own fortress. And in the tunnels below the surface, a garrison of twelve hundred men has to decide how to hold a fort under attack from its own roof.For maps, photographs, original documents and the full source base behind this series, visit www.worldwar2-sof.com.#WorldWarII #SpecialForces #Fallschirmjäger #Airborne #AlbertCanal #FortEbenEmael #SturmabteilungKoch #SturmgruppeGranit #Witzig #FallGelb #BelgiumCampaign #1940 #MilitaryHistory #WWIIPodcast #GermanAirborne #UnternehmenDanzig #Paratroopers #SpecialOperations #WWII #WarHistory #MilitaryPodcast #DFS230 #Cupola120 #Maastricht #KölnOstheim #Liège🔗 Stay connected with us:Website: https://worldwar2-sof.comInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/ww2.sofFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/WorldWar2SOFFacebook Support Group: https://www.facebook.com/WorldWar2SOF/subscribe/Threads: https://www.threads.net/@ww2.sofSpotify: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/worldwar2sof