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| January 2nd, 2026 |
| Last Updated |
| March 28th, 2026 |
| Germany |
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| Operations Fallschirmjäger |
| May 10th, 1940 |
| Unternehmen Danzig, Sturmgruppe Stahl |
| Fallschirmjäger |
| Sturmgruppe Stahl, 92 Fallschirmjäger of Sturmgruppe Koch under Oberleutnant Gustav Altmann, carried in nine DFS 230 assault gliders, launches from Cologne-Ostheim airfield tasked with seizing the steel road bridge at Veldwezelt over the Albert Canal. Defending the bridge and the surrounding sector is a reinforced company of the 2e Régiment de Carabiniers, part of Belgium’s 7e Division d’Infanterie, supported by IIe Groupe / 20e Régiment d’Artillerie under Kapitein-commandant Jules Vander Velde, with a forward battery positioned in Veldwezelt itself. All nine gliders land next to the bridge at 05.20, barbed wire wrapped around the landing skids bringing them rapidly to a halt. Altmann’s glider touches down some distance from the bridge. A second lands directly in front of a Belgian pillbox, which immediately opens fire. The squad neutralises the position with grenades and explosive charges. Two men reach the canal bank and climb onto the bridge girders, disconnecting the demolition charges before they can be detonated. The Veldwezelt bridge is secured intact. Belgian counterattacks continue throughout the day, supported by artillery and armoured elements. Sturmgruppe Stahl is not relieved until 21:30, having sustained eight killed and thirty wounded. Belgian casualty figures for the Veldwezelt sector are not available in published sources. Oberleutnant Altmann receives the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes for the operation on May 12th, 1940. |
| May 10th, 1940 |
| Unternehmen Danzig, Sturmgruppe Beton |
| Fallschirmjäger |
| Sturmgruppe Beton, 96 Fallschirmjäger of Sturmgruppe Koch under Leutnant Gerhard Schacht, carried in eleven DFS 230 assault gliders, launches from Cologne-Ostheim airfield tasked with seizing the reinforced concrete road bridge at Vroenhoven over the Albert Canal. Defending the bridge and the surrounding sector is a reinforced company of the 18e Régiment de Ligne, part of Belgium’s 7e Division d’Infanterie, supported by Ie Groupe / 20e Régiment d’Artillerie under Majoor René Gennart, positioned at Riemst. Ten of the eleven gliders land next to the Vroenhoven bridge at 05:15. The eleventh is hit by anti-aircraft fire en route and forced down prematurely in the Netherlands. One further glider is struck as it lands and stalls in mid-air, severely wounding three men on impact. One glider sets down directly beside the bunker housing the bridge detonator. The occupants storm the position, eliminate the crew, and sever the demolition wiring. The Vroenhoven bridge is secured intact. Belgian counterattacks continue throughout the day, repelled with Junkers Ju 87 close air support. Sturmgruppe Beton is not relieved until 21:40, having sustained seven killed and twenty-four wounded. Belgian casualty figures for the Vroenhoven sector are not recorded in available sources. Early that afternoon, lead elements of the 4. Panzer-Division cross the Meuse and reach the bridgehead, opening the route westward into Belgium. |
| May 10th, 1940 |
| Unternehmen Danzig, Sturmgruppe Eisen |
| Fallschirmjäger |
| Sturmgruppe Eisen, ninety-two Fallschirmjäger of Sturmgruppe Koch under Leutnant Martin Schächter, carried in ten DFS 230 assault gliders, launches from Cologne-Butzweilerhof airfield tasked with seizing the road bridge at Kanne over the Albert Canal. Defending the bridge and the nine-kilometre sector between Kanne and Lixhe is the 2e Régiment de Grenadiers, part of Belgium’s 7e Division d’Infanterie, commanded by Kolonel Herbiet and numbering approximately 2,600 men on the day of the attack. Artillery support is provided by IVe Groupe / 20e Régiment d’Artillerie under Majoor Robert Carron, positioned at Zichen-Zussen-Bolder. Sturmgruppe Eisen is released fifteen minutes behind the assault groups at Veldwezelt and Vroenhoven. One glider is struck by anti-aircraft fire and crashes on approach, killing most of its occupants. The remaining eight land successfully on the Opkanne heights, but the distance to the bridge is too great. Belgian pioneers of the 3e Compagnie / 21e Bataljon Pioniers detonate the demolition charges before Schächter’s men can intervene. The Kanne bridge is destroyed. Belgian counterattacks continue through the night. Sturmgruppe Eisen, the hardest-hit of the three bridge groups, sustains twenty-two killed and twenty-six wounded. German engineers subsequently construct a replacement crossing. |
| May 10th, 1940 |
| Unternehmen Danzig, Sturmgruppe Granit |
| Fallschirmjäger |
| Sturmgruppe Granit, 86 Fallschirmjäger combat engineers of Sturmgruppe Koch under Oberleutnant Rudolf Witzig, carried in eleven DFS 230 assault gliders, launches from Cologne-Ostheim airfield tasked with neutralising Fort Eben-Emael, the Belgian fortress whose artillery dominates the Albert Canal crossings at Vroenhoven, Veldwezelt and Kanne. The fort is garrisoned by approximately 1,200 men under Majoor Jottrand. Two gliders are lost before reaching the objective. Witzig’s own glider is forced down in Germany after a tow-rope failure, leaving Oberfeldwebel Helmut Wenzel in command. The nine remaining gliders land successfully on the roof of the fort, using braking parachutes to bring them rapidly to a halt. Wenzel’s engineers immediately assault the gun emplacements using hollow charges, destroying or disabling the artillery pieces threatening the canal bridges. The garrison is effectively trapped in the lower levels of the fort. Witzig reaches the objective by road and resumes command. Belgian counterattacks and artillery fire from neighbouring forts continue through the night. At 07:00 on May 11th, 1940, pioneers of Pionierbataillon 51 reach the fort and force the garrison’s surrender. The Belgian defenders lose approximately sixty killed, with the remaining garrison effectively neutralised inside their own fortress. Sturmgruppe Granit sustains six killed. The wounded figure varies between fifteen and twenty across available sources and requires verification against your primary sources. Oberleutnant Witzig receives the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on May 12th, 1940. |