The Fall of Eben Emael: The Daring Airborne Assault That Sealed the Fate of France, May 1940

by James E. Mrazek

Book Overview

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.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0891414061
• ISBN13: 9780891414063
• Release Date: January 1991
• Publisher: Presidio Press
• Length: 192 Pages
• Weight: 1.30 lbs.

Customer Reviews

Good Early Special Ops Book

I think the author, who himself served in WWII as a glider infantry author, was the right one to write this book. If you looked toward the end, on page 167 (of the hardbound book), you see what this is all about. Mrazek starts with a great Victor Hugo quote, "No army can withstand the strength of an idea whose time has come." Then you see the accomplishment of the German glider assault on the fort: "Seventy-seven boldly led men, ten gliders costing about 77,000 Deutsche marks, and fifty-six hollow-charge explosives defeated 780 men defending the world's strongest fort."I think the author does a good job of giving the background of how this strong fort, Eben Emael, fell due to two new military developments: the glider and the hollow charge. This is a limited and small book, but Mrazel does show us how Germany, denied an air force, took to gliders. With necessity the mother of invention, it stands to reason the Germans would find a way to make the glider a weapon. This they did in front of Hitler in 1936. Mrazek shows how Hitler remembered this and was the one who gave the order to take Eben Emael with gliders. There is a reason for this decision. German paratroopers could not control their descent as their risers were not steerable, which strung them out on a drop (forget the Hollywood nonsense). Weapons were dropped separately. The glider put the men on the ground together with their weapons. The one complaint I have is that the author does provide a photo of a German paratroop drop, which would have helped show this tactical problem of theirs.Mrazek devotes some time, with drawings, to explain the significance of the hollow charge. This explosive was so powerfull it scared not just the Belgian defenders when used, but the German attackers as well. Take a look at the photos in the book and you see what I mean. The cupolas look like they were hit with smart bombs from an air strike. The author uses drawings to show where each German unit attacked, which I think adds an interesting dynamic to the telling of this story. (The units and names of each man are provided at the back.) Some authors can be very general and skip the facts that some soldiers would find more interesting, such as just who attacked Cupola 30. I actually took the time to compare the diagrams to the photos and then back to the attacking unit.This is pretty much the definitive book an this amazing attack. Note that the author personally interviewed nine attackers and defenders, including German General Student, the man told by Hitler to attack the fort with gliders.

Very Well-Done

A very good account of a remarkable victory. Exciting and well-written, this book was a quite enjoyable, excellent reading experience.

Entertainingly written for the masses

This is one of my favourite books on WWII, not because of the way it is written, but because of the subject. The tale of Fort Eben Emael and it's fall to a german paratrooper group of less than hundred men is the story to be written like mr. Mrazek has done: very lightly, without too many technical details. Why I didn't give this book 5 stars is because of the lack of these details. I was personally left with a multitude of questions concerning the make and properties of the fort's artillery for example. Also, the book is partially chronologically confusing concerning the flow of events. All in all, warmly recommended for anyone interested in WWII.

An excellent summation on the "grenade pin" of conquest

Mrazek has filled in the blanks on one of the greatest "special op's" in military history. On one side was the old world of fixed fortifications and on the other was the new world of weapons and tactics. Eben Emael was one of the battles that has changed history. Read this fine account and understand why France fell so fast in June, 1940.

A moment x moment account of a spectacular special operation

Designed to delay a German invasion long enough for Belgium and France to mobilize their defending forces, Fortress Eben Emael was the linch-pin of the vaunted Belgium line of defences, and key to the defense of Europe. This outstanding, well-researched and balanced book reconstructs how a fortress of 1000 men fell to a 77 man force of glider-borne German paratroopers in 28 hours using tactics and weapons never before seen on a battlefield. This is not a book of blood, but it is an excellent and gripping first-hand account of the men, tactics and operations of both sides.