When Thomas reached Emael he had lost many men. He decided to distribute ammunition to the survivors in an attempt to get to Strongpoint B, having previously reported to Group One command post seeking further orders. However the command post was deserted but for four dead grenadiers. Dodging the German fire, his party reached Strongpoint B towards 1230 hrs. Their luck did not hold good for long, for by now the Germans were masters of the situation. Assailed from all sides the Belgians surrendered. The paratroopers now headed for Strongpoint A defended by men of 6.Company (2nd Lt Neirinckx) which was only 200 metres from Strongpoint B.

Neirinckx’s men, particularly the detachment protecting the west flank, now came under attack from the paratroopers, Stukas and fighters. Sgt Munster of 6.Comp. lost his life here. Strongpoint A could not hold firm and its complement headed for Strongpoint H in the second line. They found it abandoned and so continued their retreat to Strongpoint G on the Kanne-Emael road. On the way they were forced to avoid increasingly heavy German fire. Strongpoint G (2nd Lt. Henrard) was only manned on its western side, by men under 2nd Lt. van Dijck (1.Comp/1.Battalion). Neirinckx, who had only twelve men, rearmed and set about recapturing his trenches. He failed: he was surrounded and surrendered at 1600 hrs. The fate of Strongpoint G was also sealed when the paratroopers entered it shortly afterwards. The Belgian detachment on the western flank had withdrawn during the morning and escaped capture as did the complement of Strongpoint H.

Once the Germans had taken the Kanne-Eben road, the ring closed around Strongpoint I. This had originally been assigned to Bleyenheuft’s 13. Comp. troop but they had become involved in heavy fighting to defend the 2.Battalion command post. As Bleyenheuft had been seriously wounded, his men had not been in a position to return to Strongpoint I, and now it was only defended by two detachments from 6.Comp. (Sgt Matagne) without prospect of reinforcements. The zone was outside the paratroopers’ route of advance towards the Canal and the bridge, and so despite the lack of numbers at Strongpoint I the Belgian resistance there was not badly organized. The German attack also started here, however. Several groups of paratroopers flowed through Emael to the east of Matagne’s trenches where he held them up for several hours. Men from 6.Comp. (Lt Génicot) who had been obliged to abandon their command post when they realized the situation was untenable, provided Matagne with reinforcements and more came up under 2nd Lt. Henrard once his grenadiers had been forced to leave Strongpoint G.

The Fighting involving Group Two

Group Two defended Strongpoints C and D in the first line and J in the second line. Most of the German gliders landed between these two lines. The casemates flanking the bridge, and bunker O on a hill slope, were the only military concrete structures in the Opkanne district⁶. These were also located in the Group Two zone.

The Flank Casemates E and F

Shortly after their landings, the German paratroopers immediately surrounded the flank casemates E and F (Abri E and F) situated on the west bank of the Canal on either side of the bridge and which were occupied by Belgian grenadiers. These casemates had the serious disadvantage of being only able to direct their fire in one direction, either to the north or south. They were therefore of little use for opposing the paratroops. As mentioned previously, the other position, Bunker O, was located on the slope of Central Hill and fired eastwards with its 12-mm MGs and 47-mm anti-tank gun. It was covered by artillery from Fort Eben Emael, with which it was connected by telephone (and which the Germans took steps to interrupt).

Bunker O and Strongpoints C and D could monitor every movement on the Kanne bridge and so were the priority targets for the paratroops. First of all, however, they attacked the Group 2 command post near where five gliders (those of Squads 2, 5, 6, 7 and 8) had come down. The Belgian grenadiers put up a defence with their carbines but had little chance against the German machine-pistols and determination of the paratroopers. When 2nd-Lt Menu, the lieutenant assigned to 2.Batallion, approached the command post hours later, all the occupants were dead.

The initiative to descend to the Canal and capture the flank casemates was undertaken by Squad 3 commanded by Oberjäger Gleitsmann. His glider was already afire when it landed on North Hill between Belgian Groups II and III. After it had touched down, six paratroopers, amazingly all without serious wounds, jumped out and hurled grenades into the infantry trenches at the edge of the hill. Following this attack they went down to the bridge, blew up three houses on the way and captured the crews of the flank casemates on either side of the west access road to the bridge.