On May 10th, 1940, at 05:20, ten German DFS 230 gliders descend over the Albert Canal in Belgium. Their objective: seize the steel bridge at Veldwezelt before Belgian engineers can detonate the demolition charges.

Within minutes, Fallschirmjäger of Sturmabteilung Koch are landing directly on the positions of the 2e Régiment de Carabiniers. Bunker N is assaulted. Trench systems north and south of the bridge erupt in close-quarters fighting. Demolition cables are cut. Communications fail. Conflicting reports paralyse Belgian command.

Throughout the morning and afternoon, Belgian forces launch counter-attacks from the Kip van Hees and from positions west of the canal. German parachute reinforcements attempt hazardous drops under fire. Luftwaffe dive-bombers intervene repeatedly. Infantry of II. Bataillon, Schützen-Regiment 33 advance to consolidate the bridgehead.

This episode reconstructs the battle for Veldwezelt sector by sector, minute by minute, one of the earliest precision airborne bridge seizures of the war, carried out four years before Pegasus Bridge.
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#WW2 #WorldWar2 #Fallschirmjäger #AlbertCanal #Airborne #FallGelb #MilitaryHistory #FortEbenEmael #Belgium1940

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