by Harvey Black
“But I can assure you,” Faust continued, “that when I can release available information to you, I will share it with the group immediately. I understand the need for security, but equally I don’t expect my men to operate in darkness, when it is not necessary.”
“Thank you gentlemen. Except for Leutnant Brand and the Senior NCOs you are dismissed for the day. But, we start in earnest at oh eight hundred tomorrow, meeting here. Leutnant Brand if you will please remain here. Oberfeldwebel, take the senior NCOs to the canteen, get yourselves a drink and meet back here in one hour. Thank you, that’s all.”
The group started to disperse and Paul made his way over to Faust’s area.
“Right Paul,” said Faust, pulling up a chair and sitting astride, its back facing towards Paul.
“Let’s go over my plans and see what you think.”
Paul grabbed a chair and joined the Oberleutnant at the table.
“I wanted to go over them with you first, before we share them with the rest of the group. If you have any concerns, ideas or changes you think should be made, then speak up, ok?”
“Understood sir,” replied Paul holding back suppressed excitement at the prospect of this clearly important operation they were being entrusted with.
Faust pulled out a rolled up schematic, unrolled it on the table, placing weights on the four corners to hold it down, and smoothed it out. To Paul, it appeared to be a plan of some sort of complex alongside a river or canal. It actually looked like a large fort, with various bunkers and turrets, of a type he had not seen before.
“This,” he said pointing at the outline of the structure on the western side of a waterway, “is Fort Eben Emael, which is situated just inside the Belgian border.”
The actual site for this new fort was determined by the course of the Albert Canal, which ran through a channel carved out of a massive feature known as Mount St Peter, some forty metres high. This feature known as the Caster Cutting ran some three hundred metres in length starting from the Lanaye rocks on the Meuse River. Its high, sheer sides were a natural defensive position that was an integral part of Eben Emael’s strength.
Construction for this fort began on the first of April, nineteen thirty two, and was completed after three years under the supervision of Commandant Jean Mercier, of the Corps of Engineers.
“And its purpose sir?” enquired Paul.
“This cutting here, which goes from South to North, and is over one thousand metres long, links the Albert canal and the Meuse. The cutting and the sheer embankment created by it, acts as its Eastern barrier. The Fort overlooks the Albert canal and its purpose is to protect those bridges that are within its range and prevent an enemy from crossing.”
“It’s pretty big sir.”
“And well armed Paul. To the south here,” he pointed to the chart, “this block, is a two storey structure armed with two, sixty millimetre anti tank guns and three machine guns. Here is a four metre gap to cross, impassable by men and machines without the retractable wooden bridge or other crossing equipment. This position itself is covered by an additional machine gun emplacement and the ability to drop grenades from special slots onto the attackers attempting to scale this four metre gap.”
“They’ve certainly gone to town on their defence,” concluded Paul.
“I’m far from finished, on the Western flank of the fort is Block two; similarly armed to block one, with two anti tank guns and three machine guns. But, it also has a sally port to enable the defenders to counter attack any assaulting force.”
“Protecting its Eastern Flank is block four and five. Block four is the weaker of the two armed emplacements with two sixty millimetre anti tank guns and two machine guns.”
He tapped the plans on the table, “although block five only has one anti tank gun and two machine guns, sat on top of it is Cupola Sud. It has a retractable cupola with twin seventy-five millimetre guns; these can quite easily target the bridges over the Canal, the very bridges that we need to secure. It has a sister turret, Cupola Nord, also with twin seventy-five millimetre guns.
“I take it that these will be some of our targets?
“Yes, and there are many more. We can’t share this with the group yet. It’s like a ring of steel and is going to be a tough nut to crack. I can understand the need for secrecy, but it won’t make our training easy.”
“What about the Dutch?”
Faust tapped the map again, making a sweeping gesture across the border of Belgium and Holland, “the peninsular that juts down here, east of Maastricht creating a barrier between Germany and Belgium, is very narrow. So it’s unlikely that the Dutch could hold an enemy up for long.”
“Creating a problem for the Belgians, I guess,” added Paul.
“Yes, the Belgians hope that the Dutch will hold back any attacking force long enough for them to blow the canal bridges situated here, here and here,” Faust had pulled the map across in front of Paul and pointed out the three main bridges across the canal, the Canne, Vroenhoven and the Veldwezelt.
“We’ll have to take out the guns they’ve got to protect the bridges with?” probed Paul further, his searching mind coming to the fore.
Faust took a liking to this young officer, although not much younger than himself. He was inquisitive and clearly had a sharp mind; they would get on well, he thought.
“They have one hundred and twenty millimetre artillery pieces to cover the bridges and various armaments to protect themselves from attack, that’s what we have to deal with.”
“Are the bridges the targets of the other groups?”
Yes, a sharp mind thought Joachim.
“Right on the button Paul, that is exactly where they will be dropped.”
“Are we invading Belgium and Holland?” enquired Paul
“Those are questions that even I don’t have the answers to, Leutnant Brand. Unfortunately I’m not party to the bigger picture, so they are questions we should probably not pursue,” rebuked Faust, but only mildly, he was probably just as frustrated at not knowing the greater scheme of things.
“So, let’s just focus on our task, eh? We’ll have enough on our plate, believe me.”
“No one else in the group knows, or is to be told what our target is, or its location, ok?”
“Hence the need to map out a representative target on the ground with tape,” mused Paul out loud.
Faust pulled the schematic of the Fort forward again.
“There are nine key objectives, consisting of cupolas supporting six, one hundred and twenty millimetre guns, casemates with seventy five millimetre guns and a number of sixty millimetre, and other calibre, machine gun posts. I have grouped them in to nine objectives, an assault glider to be assigned to each one. That leaves two gliders in reserve.”
“How many troopers are you assuming for each glider?”
“Eight, including the pilot. We have quite a high weight of explosives to carry, the consequence being a reduction in capacity for the number of soldiers that can be carried.
“So, we focus the training on a specific target for a specific glider and its troop?”
“Yes,” agreed Faust, but we’ll have to allow for some cross training, in case a glider fails to make the objective. Each troop will have a primary and a secondary objective.”
“How will you compile the teams, sir?”
“Good question Paul, one that I have deliberated on for some time. Initially I was going to mix the group, have your men interspersed with my engineers. But, your platoon has worked and fought together, so they know each other’s strengths and weaknesses and have confidence in each other. The same for my engineers, except they have not seen any combat, unlike your troopers. So, we learn from each other during training, but for combat they remain the cohesive team they are used to.”
“So my Platoon would make up four glider troops?”
“Yes, and any troopers that are spare, will be allocated to one of the reserve gliders.”
“That selectio
n is not going to be easy,” thought Paul out loud, sharing his concerns with his new Company Commander.
“Don’t dwell on it for too long, I suspect we’ll all be in the thick of it.”
“What else sir?”
“I have an outline of the training schedule.”
“That will help to get everyone focused quickly sir.”
“That’s what I intend, they are certainly not here for a holiday,” Faust grinned.
He turned to the easel and board behind him and pinned up a chart he had just pulled from his leather briefcase. It was a training schedule; he had clearly been busy while Paul and the rest of the group had been making their way there.
“There are four key training requirements, Paul.”
“First, we must become familiar with the gliders. We must learn how to pack them and how to move about them quickly. We don’t want some clod hopper putting his boot or his assault ladder through the skin of the glider.”
“Particularly not in flight,” added Paul.
“Exactly, they need to move about the glider as if it was their second home.”
“What about how it handles in flight?” interjected Paul.
“Good point, I had considered that and have discussed it with Leutnant Krause. He is just as concerned about the lack of experience amongst his pilots of flying these gliders. So, he has an extensive training programme for them. First we shall get the pilots to fly the gliders empty, giving them a chance to get familiar with the flight characteristics, also good practice for our Tante June drivers,” said Faust referring to the Junkers’ pilots.
“Once they are familiar with the handling of the empty gliders, we will gradually increase the weight until we are ready to add a human cargo, us.”
“I can picture their faces,” ventured Paul, they’re used to making their own way down to the ground. They won’t relish losing that control.”
“It’s certainly going to be an eye opener Paul, and that goes for all of us,” he concluded.
“They need to get the feel of the glider in flight, how best to secure themselves and how to brace effectively for landing. More importantly, once landed; how to get the hell out of there quickly.”
“Once they are on the ground they are a fixed target,” added Paul, “they’ll have to get out quickly if they don’t want to be target practice for the Belgian soldiers. How many exit points are there?”
Either through the middle exit door, or out through the pilot’s canopy.”
“So the pilot could be one of the first out?”
“Yes, so they have to be as equally well trained in close quarter combat, they will be our security until the rest of the troop exit the glider.”
“The second key training aim is in the use of explosives and how to destroy, or at least damage, the armaments. Not forgetting the use of heavy machine guns and flame throwers.”
“What will we have available?”
“We will naturally have conventional explosives, but we will also have a new hollow charge weapon.”
Faust pinned up a picture of what looked like an inverted cone.
“This, Paul, is a hollow charge explosive. It is a specially configured explosive that can penetrate most known steel and concrete structures that we are likely to come up against. I won’t be revealing this to the troops just yet, and even then, they will not be allowed to use it in the way it is designed. We’ll need to find a way around that somehow, to ensure realism. I won’t be introducing the group to those until later in the training programme. They are highly classified, so I want to leave their use until the last possible moment.”
“Another secret,” grinned Paul
“Afraid so,” retorted Faust, smiling back.
“My engineers can take the lead on that in due course, they will be in their element blowing things up. They can then pass on the rudiments necessary to ensure the rest of the group are able to use the explosives effectively. Thirdly, the actual assault on the target objectives; where we go once the glider lands, the route to get there, what action we take on the way, what we take with us and more importantly, what we do when we get there.”
“Can my troop take the lead on that?” questioned Paul.
“That’s exactly what I had in mind. Your men will respect my engineers for their knowledge in explosives, but equally my engineers will respect your troopers because they have been in combat.”
“And finally, fitness. I know you are thinking that your men, and my engineers for that matter, are fit enough, but we have to be sure. We have to be able to hit the targets hard and fast. Destroy the targets while the defenders are off balance, before they gather their senses and hit back. Also they will be carrying excessive amounts of equipment. Apart from their own supplies of ammunition and grenades, there will be flamethrowers, heavy explosives, assault ladders, you get the gist Paul?”
“How long will we be on our own sir?”
“The plan is for six hours, but you and I both know, that is the best case. Should our relief get held up, we could be on our own some time. Then sleep and rest will be a luxury we will have to do without. So, fitness training will be key criteria in the programme.”
“The NCOs will be here shortly, so I think we should conclude our discussion for now. Any questions Paul?”
“Not for the moment sir, I am sure lots will crop up once we start the Chinese Parliament with the NCOs”
The NCOs, including Max, joined the two officers and they thrashed out the basics of the plan to assault the target, obviously not disclosed to them, and the training schedule that would ensure they were well prepared for it.
The debate with the NCOs was lively. A Chinese Parliament was a term widely used by the military community, whereby the unit as a whole was given the opportunity to influence how the operation was conducted.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Max poured himself and his Platoon Commander a piping hot coffee, placing it on the table in front of Paul who was deeply engrossed in the document in front of him.
He was studying the schematic of Fort Eben Emael, not the real schematic, but an outline that gave little away about the actual target. It worried him that they were training for an operation with so little information at the beginning.
He knew what the target was, he knew the enormity of what they were up against, but did not share it with his men.
He pushed it aside, exposing the cup stains and graffiti that now scarred the well used oak table.
Max pushed the cup in front of Paul, encouraging him to break out of his reverie, sometimes he worried too much, thought Max, and it was usually for others and not him.
They had spent the morning preparing their section of the hut. They were to conduct a background briefing for the Platoon. Today was the day that they would inform the Platoon about their troop composition and the objectives they would have to secure.
“Shall I gather the lads around sir?”
“Yes Max, do that. Let’s get this thing kicked off.”
“Right you lot,” relayed Max, “let’s have you gathered round. Time to get some work out of you.”
“Pull up some chairs and get yourselves another drink,” instructed Paul. “There may be some biscuits left if the Unterfeldwebel hasn’t eaten them all.”
The Platoon laughed and Max growled, “you’d better not eat all of the ginger snaps!”
The splashing of mugs being filled and chairs being scraped across the wooden, boarded floor ceased and the platoon, of twenty six men, some were missing, settled down and waited patiently for the start of their Commander’s briefing. This brief was more personal than the ones given by Kaufmann and Faust, this time it was their leader and the actions that came out of this would be enacted by them.
“You have all been told the basics of the operation that we are to be involved in,” confirmed Paul, “now the Unterfeldwebel and I will appoint your troop line up and designate the targets specific to those teams.”
The platoon glanc
ed sideways at each other; they now felt that the move from Poland was worth it after all. In fact, the rest of the Battalion had returned to Germany and were now kicking their heels in a barracks. Both Paul and Max could sense the suppressed excitement of the Platoon.
“We have been assigned four targets and will be allocated four gliders. Each glider will carry one pilot and seven troopers.”
“Doing the sums sir,” piped up Leeb, the Commander of number one troop, “that will require twenty eight men and, including yourself and the Unterfeldwebel, we have thirty two.”
“On the ball today Leeb, I didn’t know maths was your strong point,” noted Max.
“You are quite correct Uffz Leeb, four of the platoon will be attached to another troop, hence the four that are not here with us. But, that doesn’t mean they won’t see any action, on the contrary, I have been assured that we will all have an equal opportunity to get to grips with the enemy.”
“Max, will you read out the team lists?”
“Troop one, will be yours Leeb. You’ll have Geister, Beiler, Fessman, Petzel, Stumme and Jordan. That adds up to seven, just in case you couldn’t work it out,” the corner of Max’s mouth turned up in an amused expression, “the eighth will be your pilot. Once the pilots have completed their initial flight training, they will be joining us.”
“Will they play an active role once we’ve landed?” questioned Leeb.
“Once we’ve landed, they will play a full role in the assault, and beforehand, they will train with us, not alongside us, is that clear?”
The platoon all nodded, taking the Unterfeldwebel’s point onboard.
He continued, “Troop two, will be commanded by Leutnant Brand, with him will be Kienitz, Forster, Straube, Kempf, Weyer and Konrad.” They all nodded in acknowledgment.
“Troop three, Fischer, is yours along with Lanz, Halm, Braemer, Roon, Sesson and Wagner. And finally troop four. You’ve drawn the short straw as the remainder of you will get the pleasure of working with me.”
There was a good natured groan, from the troopers that were left, Waldau, Renisch, Geyer, Rammelt, Geib and Pelz.