Atlas of Battles

battle, major, interwar and Second World War

Battle of Fort Eben-Emael

Battle of Fort Eben-Emael was a battle fought on 10 May 1940 at Fort Eben-Emael, in what is now Belgium; it lasted 1 day. It was part of the German invasion of Belgium. The recorded result: German victory. Recorded strength: 493 against 1,200+ (estimated).

See it on the globe Read the article

Battle of Fort Eben-Emael
Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Fought10 May 1940lasted 1 day
WhereFort Eben-Emael, Belgium50.797N, 5.681E
OutcomeGerman victory
BelligerentsNazi GermanyagainstBelgium
Part ofGerman invasion of Belgium1940

Where it sits in the German invasion of Belgium

Battle of Fort Eben-Emael, 1940Battle of Bree and Bocholt, 1940Battle of the Lys, 1940Battle of Gijzenzele, 194019401940Battle of Fort Eben-Emael, 1940
4 placed engagements of the German invasion of Belgium in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.

Record

Date10 May 1940
to 11 May 1940
PlaceFort Eben-Emael, Belgium
50.797N, 5.681E
KindBattle, interwar and Second World War
Strength4931,200+ (estimated)
Casualties and losses6 killed; 20 wounded100 killed or wounded; 1,000+ capturedThis figure only refers to casualties and prisoners at Fort Ében-Émael. Belgian casualties taken during fighting at the three bridges is unknown.
Commanders
  • Walter Koch (paratrooper)
  • Jean Jottrand
Battle of Fort Eben-EmaelBattle of Fort Eben-EmaelBattle of LauffeldSiege of MaastrichtBattle of MaastrichtSiege of MaastrichtSiege of MaastrichtBattle of LauffeldSiege of MaastrichtRotterdamCologneAntwerpenLuxembourgDüsseldorfBonnWiesbadenCharleroi100 km50.797N, 5.681E
The recorded site, with the nearest other engagements in the atlas. Present-day coastlines, rivers and borders; towns from Natural Earth.

The ground today

Relief of the ground around the site of Battle of Fort Eben-Emael
Relief within about 10.0 km of the site, contours every 10 m. Copernicus DEM GLO-30, ESA.
Satellite view of the site of Battle of Fort Eben-Emael today
The same ground from Sentinel-2 on 2023-06-24. Contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data 2023.

The recorded site stands at about 116 m; within 10.0 km the ground runs from 26 to 175 m, 150 m of relief, hilly country and today it is 28% cropland, 24% tree cover, 23% grassland.

cropland: 28%tree cover: 24%grassland: 23%built-up: 12%water: 11%cropland 28%tree cover 24%grassland 23%built-up 12%water 11%
west to east, 10.0 km44 to 141 mnorth to south, 10.0 km37 to 119 m
Elevation from the Copernicus DEM GLO-30 (ESA, Airbus); land cover from ESA WorldCover 2021 (CC BY 4.0), within about 5 km of the recorded site. Computed, not recorded.

Nearest engagements

Contested ground: this site was fought over 17 times between 1204 and 1940.

In the same war

Elsewhere in 1940

Battle of Fort Eben-Emael is one of 2,997 engagements of the 20th century in the atlas and one of 243 in present-day Belgium.

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q714288, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Battle of Fort Ében-Émael, revision 1382297892, read 2026-11-14, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0; the article's text is not reproduced here. Present-day country and state from Natural Earth. Dates before 1582 follow the Julian calendar as recorded.