(2/5) Dangerous Missions - Eben Emael - World War II

At the outbreak of World War II, Fort Eben Emael in Belgium was the strongest fortress in the world, and it lay exactly across the German invasion route of Belgium and France. The forts elimination was essential for the success of Hitlers invasion of the West. Deemed impregnable to conventional attack, Hitler himself suggested the means for its capture with the first glider-borne assault in military history. On 10 May 1940, ten gliders carrying just 77 paratroopers landed on top of the fort. Using top-secret hollow-charge weapons for the first time in warfare, the assault pioneers of Sturmgruppe Granit subdued Fort Eben Emael within just 30 minutes, and the fortress surrendered within 30 hours. It remains one of the greatest raids in the annals of Special Forces.

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Education

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[djlagomorph]

I can't stand it when documentaries explain the mechanism of a hollow charge wrongly. The jet of metal is not molten, ffs.

[2bn442RCT]

When the explosion occurs, the liner metal is formed into a spike of molten metal (although there is some discussion on whether it is liquid or solid; most times it is referred to a "plasma" jet, plasma not in the technical subatomic sense but in the sense of an in-between state of the metal between liquiduous and solid).

[trinex7]

This fort is seriously amazing. Extremely well planned.

[prostockgear]

@vliegendehollander55 first off how were they supposed to know how fucked up he was?they only seen one side of him.....germans are far from stupid.....seeing they are engineering geniuses...among other things..............are you a zipperhead?

[vliegendehollander55]

Hitler was from Austria. You see how stupid the Germans were. A house painter! Hahahhahah

problem, they believed him

costing 50 millons lives

and now we have to belive Mercel?

[bleushift]

Ive bin in eben emeal many times

very intresting

[djlagomorph]

@2bn442RCT

Ok, but of course the heat capacity of the armor is way too high to be able to melt it. Even if the jet is not really solid, the destruction is more mechanical than thermal, would you not agree?

[djlagomorph]

@brucec43

Well, it didn't have to be explained in all scientific detail. Just say "a jet of metal that pierces the armor plate" or something like that. Simplifying things is ok, explaining them wrong is not, in my opinion.

Of course the rest of the film is great, I didn't mean to imply anything else.

[brucec43]

@djlagomorph Considering this is intended for a broad audience I think they did a pretty good job.