When the rest of the German army arrived, the remaining defenders surrendered.ĥ. The men landed on the fort in gliders and quickly took hold of large sections of it, destroying or capturing the guns aimed at the countryside. They did it in a single morning with 85 paratroopers. But Germany had to destroy or negate it to get the blitzkrieg into Belgium. Constructed from 1932-1935, it was heavily armed and guarded by upwards of 800 soldiers. In 1940, the Belgian Fort Eben-Emael was arguably the world’s strongest fort.
German paratroopers take the world’s strongest fortįort Eben-Emael was arguably the world’s strongest fortress in May 1940, but it fell to 85 German paratroopers with the right plan. One man, Knut Haukelid, participated in both raids.Ĥ. Months later, a new stockpile of German heavy water was being transported on a ferry when the Norwegian Resistance attacked once again, sinking the ferry and ending Germany’s last best chance at a nuclear reactor or bomb. They were able to blow the storage facilities, setting German nuclear research back by at least months. 28, 1943, despite suffering from starvation and exhaustion. Norwegian resistance destroys Germany’s nuclear stockpile, twiceĪ first attempt on the Norsk Hydro Plant, where radioactive heavy water was processed and stored, failed but the survivors and their reinforcements hit the plant on Feb.
Geoffrey Keyes, killed and buried with full honors and photos sent to the family.ģ. Only two raiders survived, but even Rommel admitted that it was a “brilliant operation.” He had the senior officer, British Lt. Still, the British commandos broke into the headquarters building only to learn that Rommel had been delayed in Rome by his own weather problems. The mission was beset by bad weather and the assault force that hit the German officer’s headquarters was smaller than planned. Operation Flipper had the lofty goal of crippling an Italian headquarters and intelligence office as well as killing Field Marshall Erwin Rommel. While the material damage was limited, it boosted British morale and forced the Germans to devote more resources to defense in a way similar to the U.S. The four men who crewed the canoes placed mines on a few ships, which damaged some commercial vessels. Only two of the original five made it to the Bordeaux-Bassens docks.
The mission hit problems almost immediately as canoes were lost to tide and river obstacles. The “Cockleshell Heroes” were a group of British Royal Marines assigned the task of launching from a submarine and canoeing miles up the River Gironde to place limpet mines against the hull of German ships. The advent of airborne operations gave them a whole new angle of approach, and the sheer scale of the war guaranteed that they’d have plenty of chances to use their skills.īut even accounting for those things, operators on both sides of the war distinguished themselves with daring missions.ġ. World War II was an exciting time for special operations and commandos.