Download or read book Fort Eben Emael written by Simon Dunstan and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2012-11-20 with total page 188 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: At the outbreak of World War II, Fort Eben Emael in Belgium was the strongest fortress in the world, and it lay exactly across the German invasion route of Belgium and France. The fort's elimination was essential for the success of Hitler's invasion of the West. Deemed impregnable to conventional attack, Hitler himself suggested the means for its capture with the first glider-borne assault in military history. On 10 May 1940, ten gliders carrying just 77 paratroopers landed on top of the fort. Using top-secret hollow-charge weapons for the first time in warfare, the assault pioneers of Sturmgruppe Granit subdued Fort Eben Emael within just 30 minutes, and the fortress surrendered within 30 hours. It remains one of the greatest raids in the annals of Special Forces.
Download or read book The Fall of Eben Emael written by James E. Mrazek and published by Presidio Press. This book was released on 1991 with total page 214 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Designed to delay a German invasion long enough for Belgium and France to mobilize their defending forces, Eben Emael was the linch-pin upon which rested the vaunted Maginot Line. The fortress fell to a seventy-seven-man force of glider-borne German paratroops in barely more than a day (twenty-eight hours). The daring aerial assault on Eben Emael is one of the most spectacularly successful special operations in history. Book jacket.
Download or read book Spec Ops written by William H. McRaven and published by Presidio Press. This book was released on 2009-02-04 with total page 433 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Vice Adm. William H. McRaven helped to devise the strategy for how to bring down Osama bin Laden, and commanded the courageous U.S. military unit that carried it out on May 1, 2011, ending one of the greatest manhunts in history. In Spec Ops, a well-organized and deeply researched study, McRaven analyzes eight classic special operations. Six are from WWII: the German commando raid on the Belgian fort Eben Emael (1940); the Italian torpedo attack on the Alexandria harbor (1941); the British commando raid on Nazaire, France (1942); the German glider rescue of Benito Mussolini (1943); the British midget-submarine attack on the Tirpitz (1943); and the U.S. Ranger rescue mission at the Cabanatuan POW camp in the Philippines (1945). The two post-WWII examples are the U.S. Army raid on the Son Tay POW camp in North Vietnam (1970) and the Israeli rescue of the skyjacked hostages in Entebbe, Uganda (1976). McRaven—who commands a U.S. Navy SEAL team—pinpoints six essential principles of “spec ops” success: simplicity, security, repetition, surprise, speed and purpose. For each of the case studies, he provides political and military context, a meticulous reconstruction of the mission itself and an analysis of the operation in relation to his six principles. McRaven deems the Son Tay raid “the best modern example of a successful spec op [which] should be considered textbook material for future missions.” His own book is an instructive textbook that will be closely studied by students of the military arts. Maps, photos.
Download or read book Toward Combined Arms Warfare written by Jonathan Mallory House and published by DIANE Publishing. This book was released on 1985 with total page 235 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book The Fall of Eben Emael written by Chris McNab and published by Osprey Publishing. This book was released on 2013-02-19 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In early May 1940, the fortress of Eben Emael was a potent sentinel over the Belgian-Dutch borderlands. A ferro-concrete monster built in the 1930s on the Albert Canal, the fortress covered 75 hectares on the surface, had 5km of tunnels underground and was studded with bunkers, gun turrets and casemates. Add a garrison of 1,200 men and the natural protection of 60m-high canal walls, and Eben Emael gave the impression of near-impregnability. Yet on 10 May, in the very first hours of Hitler's campaign in Western Europe, just 78 elite airborne soldiers managed to defeat this fortress in an operation of unprecedented tactical skill. Deployed by glider onto the very top of the fortifications, they utilized elite training, fast movement and specialist explosives to destroy many of the gun positions and trap much of the garrison within the fortress. Simultaneously, three other assault detachments conducted high-risk glider operations to capture critical bridges over the Albert Canal. By the end of 11 May, following the arrival of German infantry reinforcements, Eben Emael was in German hands. This Eben Emael RAID title tells the complete, fascinating story of this unique action. It sets the raid fully in context, explaining the development, training, skills and weaponry of Hitler's new Fallschirmjäger arm. It also describes in detail the physical structure and tactical challenges of the Eben Emael fortress, and gives a blow-by-blow account of how the operation unfolded from the first moment the German gliders lifted into the air until the last Belgian defender surrendered. The text, including first-hand accounts of the battle, is brought to life by colour artworks, which provide clear graphic illustration of the battle site and dramatic depictions of key moments in the battle. Some 50 photographs include both powerful archive images and photographs from around the site today. All elements combined, this title forms an authoritative guide to this landmark airborne raid.
Download or read book Devils with Wings written by Harvey Black and published by Troubador Publishing Ltd. This book was released on 2011-09-01 with total page 313 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A military thriller based around the adventures of two young Fallschirmjäger paratroopers during the early part of World War II. It is a fictionalised adventure based on the famous assault on the impregnable Belgian Fortress, Eben Emael. Tall, gangly Paul Brand is supported by his junior sergeant, Unterfeldwebel Max Grun, as he experiences his first action as a platoon commander in Poland, September 1939. The mutual respect between the two comrades grows as they experience the sights and smells of battle at close quartersFollowing their success in Poland, Paul, Max and the platoon are sent to a clandestine camp in the foothills of the Harz Mountains to train for a secret mission. Confined to camp for six months they undergo intensive training for their next mission – the subjugation of the Eben Emael Fortress. Two German secret weapons will assist them to complete their task; the first is the glider, used for the first time to deposit troops directly onto a target, and the second secret weapon is a new Hollow Charge Weapon, capable of blasting through steel or concrete. On completion of their training, nine gliders containing seventy two Fallschirmjäger land on top of the fortress, before the troops move in to the depths of the tunnels to finish the job. Over one thousand Belgian troops fail to stop them. This exciting fictionalised retelling of the assault on Eben Emael is written by an author with experience in army intelligence.
Download or read book 16 Cases of Mission Command written by Donald P., Donald Wright, Ph. D. and published by CreateSpace. This book was released on 2013-12 with total page 218 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: For the US Army to succeed in the 21st Century, Soldiers of all ranks must understand and use Mission Command. Mission Command empowers leaders at all levels, allowing them to synchronize all warfighting functions and information systems to seize, retain, and exploit the initiative against a range of adversaries. This collection of historical vignettes seeks to sharpen our understanding of Mission Command philosophy and practice by providing examples from the past in which Mission Command principles played a decisive role. Some vignettes show junior officers following their commander's intent and exercising disciplined initiative in very chaotic combat operations. Others recount how field grade officers built cohesive teams that relied on mutual trust to achieve key operational objectives. Each historical account is complemented by an annotated explanation of how the six Mission Command principles shaped the action. For this reason, the collection is ideal for leader development in the Army school system as well as for unit and individual professional development. Mission Command places great responsibility on our Soldiers.
Download or read book Eben Emael the Defence of Fortress Belgium 1940 written by Clayton Donnell and published by Pen and Sword Military. This book was released on 2021-11-24 with total page 361 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In the early morning of 10 May 1940, the sky literally fell on the heads of the defenders of Fort Eben-Emael, considered to be Belgium's most powerful fortress. This huge structure, with its powerful artillery and infantry weapons, was the key to the Meuse and Albert Canal defences. In the darkness of the pre-dawn, German DFS 230 gliders drifted silently over the southern Netherlands, landing one by one on top of Eben-Emael. Within minutes German Special Forces troops destroyed most of the fort’s weapons and observation capabilities. The following day, the garrison surrendered, and the door to Belgium and France was open. But, as Clayton Donnell relates in this perceptive and meticulously researched study, Eben-Emael was only one of the nineteen forts of the fortified positions of Liège and Namur attacked in May 1940. Three new and sixteen refurbished forts held out for several days, and fought to the death. The story he tells contradicts the common assumption that these static defences were rolled over or bypassed –powerless to resist the overwhelming force of the German combat engineer’s assaults, Stuka bombs and heavy artillery shells. In vivid detail he demonstrates that their importance in the 1940 campaign has been seriously under reported, and he gives clarity to some of the legends that have grown up around the capture of Eben-Emael itself.
Download or read book The Illustrated War News written by and published by . This book was released on 1916 with total page 594 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book The Forts and Fortifications of Europe 1815 1945 The Neutral States written by J.E. Kaufmann and published by Pen and Sword. This book was released on 2014-10-30 with total page 258 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: After the Napoleonic Wars the borders of Europe were redrawn and relative peace endured across the region, but the volatile politics of the late nineteenth century generated an atmosphere of fear and distrust, and it gave rise to a new era of fortress building. In the neutral states situated between France and Germany - The Netherlands, Belgium and Switzerland - the need for extensive fixed defences was particularly urgent, and this is the subject of this highly illustrated new study. The strategic thinking that gave rise to these defensive schemes is described in detail, as is the planning, design and construction of the lines themselves. Their operational history in wartime, in particular during the Second World War, is a key element of this expert account.
Download or read book Hitler s Paratrooper written by Gilberto Villahermosa and published by Frontline Books. This book was released on 2010-07-30 with total page 306 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Rudolf Witzig entered the history books as the heroic captor of Belgiumês supposedly impregnable fortress Eben Emael in May 1940 _ the first time that glider-borne troops were used in the war. To many people, he is also known as the commander of the battle group that fired the first shots of the Tunisian campaign. Remarkably, next to nothing has been written about him as an individual. This biography, completed with the full support of Witzigês widow and son, is a comprehensive history of the man and also provides important new detail on the German parachute arm that he served. In the course of his service, he was awarded the coveted Knightês Cross of the Iron Cross. He could not be awarded the decoration because he had not yet earned the Ironês Crosses 2nd and 1st class _ to resolve the problem he was awarded all three on the spot. Witzig was involved in Operation Mercury, the invasion of Crete, but was injured during the fighting. After his recovery, he was sent to Tunisia where he was credited with several successful defensive actions. He ended the war in captivity, surrendering to the Allies on 8 May 1945, the day after his name was placed on the Honour Roll of the Luftwaffe. Rudolf Witzig was born on 14th August 1916 in Westphalia. His military career started in 1935 when he was accepted as an officerês candidate. He went on to win the Knightês Cross, which was awarded by Hitler personally. Witzig died on 3rd October 2001 at the age of 85. Gilberto Vilhermosa is a serving member of the US military in Yemen. This is his second book.
Download or read book Belgium s Dilemma written by Jonathan A. Epstein and published by BRILL. This book was released on 2014-03-27 with total page 300 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In Belgium’s Dilemma: The Formation of Belgian Defense Policy, 1932-1940, Jonathan Andrew Epstein presents, for the first time in English, a detailed examination of the formation of Belgian defense policy in the eight years leading up to the crucial World War II Blitzkrieg campaign in Western Europe. Belgium’s decision to renounce military ties with France in 1936 has been widely criticized as a fatal mistake but it was in fact a reasonable response to Belgium’s situation and was not a significant factor in the Allied defeat. Drawing on Belgian documents, Jonathan Andrew Epstein looks at the leaders and issues that shaped the Belgian army of 1940 and demonstrates that while mistakes were made, most of the decisions were sound.
Download or read book German Airborne Divisions written by Bruce Quarrie and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2013-02-20 with total page 97 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The German Army of World War II was the first to fully realise the benefits of using airborne troops alongside armoured formations. German Airborne Divisions became an integral part of the blitzkrieg operations that overran much of Western Europe during 1940 and 1941, from the historic raid on the Belgian fortress of Eben-Emael to the pyrrhic victory over British and Commonwealth forces on the island of Crete. This title looks at the creation, evolution, and early operational deployment of the German airborne forces ('Fallschirmtruppe'), through highly detailed orders of battle, TOEs and examinations of crucial aspects such as doctrine, training, command and control, and the concept of vertical envelopment.
Download or read book LIFE written by and published by . This book was released on 1941-01-13 with total page 88 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: LIFE Magazine is the treasured photographic magazine that chronicled the 20th Century. It now lives on at LIFE.com, the largest, most amazing collection of professional photography on the internet. Users can browse, search and view photos of today’s people and events. They have free access to share, print and post images for personal use.
Download or read book A Judge in Auschwitz written by Kevin Prenger and published by Pen and Sword Military. This book was released on 2021-11-24 with total page 235 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The remarkable true story of the man tasked by the Nazis with prosecuting crimes at concentration camps. In autumn 1943, SS judge Konrad Morgen—a graduate of the Hague Academy of International Law—visited Auschwitz concentration camp to investigate an intercepted parcel containing gold sent from the camp. While there, Morgen found the SS camp guards engaged in widespread theft and corruption. Worse, Morgen also discovered that inmates were being killed without authority from the SS leadership. While millions of Jews were being exterminated under the Final Solution program, Konrad Morgen set about gathering evidence of these “illegal murders.” Morgen also visited other camps, such as Buchenwald, where he had the notorious camp commandant Karl Koch and Ilse, his sadistic spouse, arrested and charged. Found guilty by an SS court, Koch was sentenced to death. Remarkably, the apparently fearless SS judge also tried to prosecute other Nazi criminals including Waffen-SS commanders Oskar Dirlewanger and Hermann Fegelein and Auschwitz Commandant Rudolf Höss. He even claimed to have tried to indict Adolf Eichmann, who was responsible for organizing the mass deportation of the Jews to the extermination camps. This intriguing work reveals how the lines between justice and injustice became blurred in the Third Reich. As well as describing the actions of this often-contradictory character, the author questions Morgen’s motives and delves into his postwar life—which included both testifying at Nuremberg and being investigated for crimes himself.
Download or read book The Fall Of Fort Eben Emael The Effects Of Emerging Technologies On The Successful Completion Of Military Objectives written by Major Thomas B. Gukeisen and published by Pickle Partners Publishing. This book was released on 2015-11-06 with total page 100 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This study details the events of 10 May 1940 at Fort Eben Emael, Belgium, and the elements which led to the successful seizure of the fort by the German military. The central focus of this thesis is the following question: Was the use of emerging technologies the key to victory at Fort Eben Emael? First, the study focuses on the technologies themselves. Secondly, this study examines the leadership and training of the German unit assigned the mission at Fort Eben Emael. Lastly, this study examines administration and personnel issues that existed for the Belgians stationed at Fort Eben Emael. This study determined that the glider did afford troops the advantage of surprise; however, the hollow charge failed to live up to its reputation as it was most effective when used in such a way that it was no different than a conventional charge. Further, the German unit’s training and leadership was exemplary and contributed more to the mission’s success than the technologies the unit employed. Additionally, Fort Eben Emael was faced with serious internal issues that prevented a successful defence of the fort. Therefore, this thesis concludes that emerging technologies were not the most crucial component contributing to mission success.
