Battle of Fort Ében-Émael

A German airborne assault on Belgium’s Fort Ében-Émael on 10–11 May 1940. German forces captured the fort, helping open routes into Belgium during the invasion.

DFS 230: A German transport glider used to deliver troops and equipment without an engine. Gliders carried German assault teams directly onto the fort’s roof and nearby objectives.
Sichelschnitt: The German operational plan for the 1940 campaign in the Low Countries and France. The fort’s capture supported the campaign’s rapid advance through Belgium.
Fortification in World War II: The design and use of defensive military structures during World War II. The fort’s rapid neutralization raised questions about the survivability of fixed defenses.
Operation Granit: The German glider assault assigned to capture Fort Ében-Émael on 10 May 1940. It was the operation’s direct attack on the fort.
Shaped charge: An explosive charge shaped to focus its blast into a narrow, penetrating jet. German engineers used shaped charges to breach armored cupolas and gun positions.
Erich Hoepner: A German general who commanded forces advancing through Belgium in 1940. His forces depended on the canal crossings the assault was meant to secure.
Airborne forces: Military units trained to reach battlefields by parachute or aircraft landing. The operation became a prominent example of airborne troops capturing a fortified objective.
Operation Niwi: A German airborne operation in Belgium in May 1940, using aircraft to land troops behind Belgian lines. It formed another part of Germany’s opening airborne operations in Belgium.
Fallschirmjäger: German airborne infantry trained to deploy by parachute or glider during World War II. Fallschirmjäger formed the assault force that seized positions on the fort.
Kurt Student: A German general who helped develop and command airborne forces during World War II. Student’s airborne command organized the specialized assault force.

Linked from 3 pages

Military gliderBroader topic: The operation demonstrated how gliders could place a small assault force close to a fortified target.