Strange as it may seem, the decision to demolish the bridge was not the responsibility of any of the officers at Kanne or Opkanne. As at Veldwezelt and Vroenhoven, the competent officer was distant, in this case at Fort Eben Emael. The detachment responsible was located in buildings near the fort entrance. In an emergency the order to prime the explosive charges would be passed by telephone to the party near the bridge waiting for instructions. At Kanne, Lt Maes, 3.Comp/1.Battalion had the job of supplying and preparing the charges. He was assisted by 2nd Lt Brille, 4.Comp/1.Battalion.

Six gunners (Sgt Pirenne)² from Fort Eben Emael had the job of directly activating the charges. The Belgians at Kanne lost no time and did so despite the complicated chain of command. Sgt Pirenne, upon receiving the order from Major Jottrand, commander of Fort Eben Emael, blew up the bridge.

Pirenne must have found these moments endlessly long. Shortly before he had watched the gliders landing to attack Fort Eben Emael, followed by those coming from over Kanne to land at Opkanne on the western side of the Canal. Then he received the order from the fort to destroy the bridge. Just at that moment, 2nd Lt.Bruyère, 21.Pi-Battalion, insisted on crossing the bridge to bring orders to the eastern side to activate the charges at various locations in Kanne and to see they were carried out. Pirenne waited for the return of Bruyere and his party, but they failed to appear. Meanwhile the fort commander ordered him for a second time to blow up the bridge. In order not to expose his own people to unnecessary risk he sent them into bunker O overlooking the road to Eben Emael and lit the fuzes. The explosions on the bridge and the MG fire from 2.Battalion/2.Regt on the surrounding heights were the welcome mat for the Germans when they got there.