I Was One of 85 Men Sent to Capture an “Impenetrable” Fortress

Historical Note: Due to the limited availability and difficulty of accurately identifying archival photographs from this period, some images shown may not directly correspond to the specific events, locations, or individuals being described. They are used for historical context and visual illustration. In the pre-dawn darkness of May 10, 1940, 86 German paratroopers landed silent gliders directly on the roof of Fort Eben-Emael — the most powerful fortress in Europe — and took it in under 24 hours using a secret weapon no one had seen before: the shaped charge. This is the first-person account of Sturmgruppe Granit, told by an Oberfeldwebel of the Fourth Squad who found himself commanding the assault after his own commander went missing in the sky over Belgium. No CGI battles, no Hollywood dialogue — just the real timeline, the real squads, the real casualties, and the real fear of the men who pulled off history's first glider-borne airborne assault, paving the way for the fall of Belgium and the Battle of France. ⏱️ A true WWII survival story told minute by minute, from the training camps of Hildesheim to the final hours atop a fortress under Belgian counter-bombardment. SOURCES / FURTHER READING: Battle of Fort Ében-Émael — Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_... "Captured! Belgium's Mighty Fort Eben-Emael" — Warfare History Network: https://warfarehistorynetwork.com/art... "Hitler's Secret Attack on the World's Largest Fort" — HistoryNet: https://historynet.com/hitlers-secret... "Assault on Fort Eben-Emael" — Combat Archives: https://www.combatarchives.com/post/a... "Battle for Fort Eben-Emael" — TracesOfWar.com: https://www.tracesofwar.com/articles/... "Eben-Emael" — World War II Today: https://www.ww2today.com/p/25-05-11-e... "Eben-Emael Glider Assault (1940)" — BattlefieldTravels: https://battlefieldtravels.com/note-e... Sturmgruppe Granit unit roster — Axis History: http://www.old.axishistory.com/axis-n... Fort Eben-Emael official site: https://fort-eben-emael.be/en/discover This video is a narrative reconstruction based on historical research and does not depict any living person. All names referenced are drawn from documented historical records of Sturmgruppe Granit. #WWII #EbenEmael #MilitaryHistory Music: 'Decoherence' by Scott Buckley - released under CC-BY 4.0. www.scottbuckley.com.au The capture of Fort Eben-Emael marked the first glider-borne airborne operation in history. See how 86 men neutralized Europe's largest fortress. This account details the precision mission of Sturmgruppe Granit on May 10, 1940. Military history enthusiasts will learn how a small force launched from airfields near Cologne to prevent artillery fire on the Albert Canal bridges. We examine the tactics behind this glider-borne operation and the specific challenges the unit faced during the opening hours of the conflict. By analyzing the events at Fort Eben-Emael, viewers gain a clearer understanding of how airborne warfare changed combat strategy in 1940. We break down the timeline of the glider assault and the critical role these troops played in the broader campaign. Subscribe for weekly military history breakdowns, and comment below if you want to see an analysis of other specific World War II operations.