17. Aggression, Shock, and Speed Seized and Maintained a Small Attacking Force’s Initiative Over a Vastly More Numerous Foe
German paratroopers rained down explosives upon Eben-Emael’s defenders from above, followed by aggressive room clearing tactics with which the garrison was unfamiliar and against which it had not trained. The demoralized defenders were steadily pushed deep into the bowels of the fortress, and away from the guns commanding the roads and bridges leading into Belgium’s heartland. With the guns unmanned, other paratroop units seized and secured the vital bridges Eben-Emael had been built to protect. The paratroopers suffered heavy casualties, but stubbornly held on to the bridges. They beat back Belgian counterattacks long enough for relief to arrive from regular German army units that raced from their jump off positions, to secure the objectives seized by the paratroopers. Inside Eben-Emael, their situation now hopeless, the garrison surrendered early in the morning of the following day, May 11th. They had capitulated within 24 hours of the gliders’ landing atop the fortress.
