Silk Chutes and Hard Fighting : U.S . Marine Corps Parachute Units in World War II

At 0430 on 10 May 1940, the German Army launched its offensive in western Europe by crossing the borders of neutral Holland, Belgium, and Luxembourg. Five minutes prior to that, nine Luftwaffe gliders had swooped out of the dark sky and landed on a patch of ground that covered the roof of Eben Emael fortress, the key position in
Belgium's defensive line fronting on the Albert Canal and Meuse River. The 60-odd men of a parachute-engineer detachment quickly debarked and set about their well-rehearsed work. Using newly developed shaped charges, they systematically
destroyed the armored cupolas housing the fort's artillery pieces and machine guns. Although Eben Emael's 1,200 defenders held out below ground for another 24 hours before surrendering, the fort had ceased to be a military obstacle. The paratroopers lost just six killed and 15 wounded.