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Informationen zum Autor Simon Dunstan is a military history author, film maker and photographer. He specialises on the subject of armoured warfare, a field on which he has been writing for over two decades. His books have covered topics such as helicopter and armoured warfare in Vietnam, the Challenger main battle tank, The British Guards and armoured warfare in Korea. Simon lives and works in London. Hugh Johnson is a highly-experienced and talented freelance digital illustrator. His works include New Vanguard 102: T-54 and T-55 Main Battle Tanks 1944–2004 for Osprey Publishing. He lives in Middlesex, UK. Klappentext 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 fort's elimination was essential for the success of Hitler's 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. Simon Dunstan explores how the assault pioneers of Sturmgruppe Granit subdued Fort Eben Emael within just 30 minutes, using top-secret hollow-charge weapons for the first time in warfare. The fortress surrendered within 30 hours. This is a compelling, illustrated guide to the fort and one of the greatest raids in the annals of Special Forces. Zusammenfassung The defences of Belgium that had proved easy prey to the German siege artillery of World War I were augmented in the post-war years by a massive fortress, constructed between 1932 and 1935, along the western bank of the Albert Canal - Fort Eben Emael. Inhaltsverzeichnis Introduction; Chronology; Design and development; Tour of the site; The principles of defence; The living site; Operational history; Aftermath; The site today; Further reading; Glossary; Index ...