Eben-Emael Fort - Eben-Emael (Belgium)

Important note

Photos provided on this website are not an endorsement of any political idea or of war. War is one of the most regrettable human activities.

All photos on this page are copyright Robert Mary and may only be reproduced with his express permission. You may contact me here

The museum

The Albertkanaal is the channel between the industrial zone of Liège and Antwerpen. It was Belgium's most important line of defence. At the eastern edge the Belgians built Fort Eben-Emael (1932-1935). It was considered impregnable.

On May 10th, 1940, 10 German gliders landed on top of the fort dropping a unit of only 78 paratroopers. As Eben-Emael was prepared for assaults from below and not from above, the Germans took the 1.100 men Belgian garrison by suprise. Within only 18 minutes Eben-Emael was captured, and was no longer a thread to the advance of the German Sixth Army into Belgium.

The seizure of the Belgian fortress stronghold at Eban Emael by German Airbourne and Special Forces was the dramatic opening shot in the Nazis' devastating May 1940 offensive. Codenamed Operation GRANITE, it involved glider forces in a daring 'coup de main' operation achieving total surprise and success.

The capture of Eben-Emael involved the first utilization of gliders for the initial attack and the first use of hollow charge devices in war.

You may contact museum authorities there.

The official website of the Museum stands here.

Location information

The museum is located at Eben-Emael
Rue du Fort 40
4690 Eben Emael
Belgium

Personal note

Visiting the museum is an opportunity to discover an old fort which resisted the best it could under the circumstances to the German attack.
The collection has been expanded with German models and uniforms. Thanks to an exchange with the museum of Cologne (Köln in German) the Fort will soon aquire a real German glider (DFS 230) and not a scale model as it exists today.
Visits at the top of the fort (where German paratroopers stood in 1940) is possible only at specific dates (visit the official website to get more information), namely the open doors days.
Toilets are free and a coffee shop stands inside the fort.
By hot weather this is also an opportunity to have freshness.