The Need for Organisational Resilience - Chapter 4

The German troops at Fort d'Ében-Émael were in dire need of reinforcements. These

could only come from the east, where the airborne troop Eisen failed to prevent the vital

bridge at Kanne being blown up by Belgian sappers. The other two bridges, at Veldwezelt

and Vroenhoeven, were contested viciously, but the initial airborne raid led to most of the

bunkers covering the bridges being destroyed. The Belgians launched several counter-

attacks to try to recapture the bridges from the Germans but, with the help of the Luftwaffe,

these attacks could be repulsed. Two bridges remained intact. Reinforcements began

heading towards the beleaguered paratroopers at Fort d'Ében-Émael.

The night was tense for both attackers and defenders. The German attacking forces had

not slept since 02:00 the previous night and, despite the supply drops, they were running out

of ammunition. They kept up the pressure on the fort, pushing into the interior, blowing their

way through steel doors and sandbag barriers. Nevertheless, stiff resistance by the Belgian

defenders did not allow them to proceed into the heart of the fort. The morning of 11 th May saw some sporadic fire from the fort, mostly from the still intact

Coupole Sud and Canal Nord. Having no electricity, running low on ammunition, being

virtually surrounded by newly-arrived German reinforcements and with little hope of

launching a coordinated, major counter-attack, a Belgian bugler sounded the call of surrender at 12:12 on 11 th May. The fall of Belgium’s most powerful fortification opened a

breach in the northern front for the Germans.

Deciding factors: Autonomy and Sensitivity

What made the difference in outcome in capturing a massive fort, at a tactical level? The

Germans were swift in partially ‘blinding’ the fort, despite being stripped of the nominated

leader for some time during the first day of the assault. The French occupants were sluggish

in interpreting the danger they faced. An assault from the air by gliders is not something they

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