Fort Eben-Emael

E745924

Fort Eben-Emael was a massive Belgian fortress near Liège that gained historical significance when it was dramatically captured by German airborne troops in May 1940 during World War II.

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Statements (49)

Predicate Object
instanceOf fortress
military fortification
area approximately 0.75 square kilometres
armament 120 mm guns
75 mm guns
anti-tank guns
machine guns
builtToProtect Albert Canal bridges NERFINISHED
Belgian–German border NERFINISHED
captureDate 10 May 1940
capturedBy Fallschirmjäger NERFINISHED
German airborne troops
Sturmabteilung Koch NERFINISHED
captureMethod glider-borne assault
use of shaped charges
conflict Battle of Belgium NERFINISHED
World War II
constructedBy Belgian Army NERFINISHED
constructionStartDate 1931
country Belgium
currentUse memorial site
museum
designedAs state-of-the-art fortress of the interwar period
designedToDefend approaches to Liège
strategic crossings over the Albert Canal
era interwar period fortification system
feature anti-aircraft positions
armoured gun turrets
casemates
underground galleries
garrisonSize approximately 1200 men
hasTourType guided tours
heritageStatus preserved military heritage site
historicalSignificance demonstrated vulnerability of fixed fortifications to airborne assault
landmark operation in airborne warfare
inServiceStartDate 1935
locatedIn Eben-Emael NERFINISHED
Wallonia
province of Liège
locatedNear Liège NERFINISHED
Meuse River NERFINISHED
locatedOn Albert Canal NERFINISHED
namedAfter village of Eben-Emael
notableEvent German assault of May 1940
openToPublic yes
operator non-profit association Fort Eben-Emael NERFINISHED
partOf Fortified Position of Liège NERFINISHED
resultOfCapture bypassed Belgian defensive line
facilitated German crossing of the Albert Canal

Referenced by (2)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Battle of Fort Eben-Emael place Fort Eben-Emael