Eben-Emael Travel Guide

 mtncorg Says:  Bloc 01 was sited 100 meters outside the main fort, but it was the most important observation post of all since it overlooked the Albert Canal, the Lanaye Locks and the Meuse River all the way across the Dutch countryside to the German border. This position was never... 

 mtncorg Says:  After visiting the interior of the fort – maybe taking the extended guided tour to the gun cupolas – it is time to turn your attention outside. A trail will take you to the top of the fort where you can see the gun casements and cupolas from the German perspective. The... 

 mtncorg Says:  The German attack of Fort Eben Emael on 10 May 1940 was the first time gliders were used in combat. An example of one of the gliders used is on display deep inside one of the passages of the Caserne Souterrainie. The gliders were fairly flimsy affairs with room for 11 men.... 

 mtncorg Says:  Inside one of the galleries of the Caserne Souterrainie is a memorial to those Belgian defenders who lost their lives defending the fort. The Belgians lost 21 men inside the fort – 61 were wounded while the Germans lost 6 dead and 18 wounded. You will find another monument... 

 mtncorg Says:  The full garrison of the fort came to 1322 men but they were all artillerymen or support soldiers with no infantry present to help defend the fort in case of an actual attack. Of the men present, half were rotated in and out of the fort with only 750 men present – and that... 

 mtncorg Says:  One of the lessons learned by the Belgian fort makers from WWI and the Liege forts was to separate gun casements and ammunition magazines so that one lucky shot would not destroy the entire fort as it did at Fort Loncin. Individual casements were separated by at least 150... 

 mtncorg Says:  Unlike the big forts along the Maginot Line in France, there was only one entrance to Fort Eben Emael. The block was protected by two 60 mm antitank guns, three machine guns, two searchlights and a 4 meter ditch along with grenade slots which allowed nasty surprises to be... 

 Pijlmans Says:  Only 15 minutes by car from Maastricht, the Netherlands, you will find Fort Eben-Emael, in Belgium.This was allegedly the STRONGEST FORTRESS OF EUROPE in it´s time. Yet, it took the Germans only 15 MINUTES to take control over the fortress when the second world war...