Unternehmen Danzig, Sturmgruppe Stahl, Part 1

About this episode

This episode explores the German airborne assault on the steel bridge at Veldwezelt during Unternehmen Danzig in 1940.

Most of us know the story of Pegasus Bridge on June 6, 1944. We remember the British coup de main at the Caen Canal and the Orne. We remember the 9th Parachute Battalion at Merville. But four years earlier, in the pre-dawn darkness of May 10, 1940, a similar operation unfolded over Belgium. In this episode, we examine the German airborne assault on the steel bridge at Veldwezelt — one of three Albert Canal crossings targeted in Unternehmen Danzig. Carried in DFS 230 gliders and released from Junkers 52 aircraft, Fallschirmjäger of Sturmgruppe Stahl descend silently toward their objective. Their mission is uncompromising: seize the bridge intact, neutralise Bunker N, cut the demolition cables, and establish a bridgehead before the Belgian defenders can react. Opposing them are the men of the 6e Compagnie, elements of the 2e Régiment de Carabiniers and 18e Régiment de Ligne, and the Cyclistes Frontières tasked with guarding and demolishing the crossing if required. We reconstruct the flight from Cologne, the tense hours before dawn, the confusion among the Belgian defenders, and the moment ten gliders land almost simultaneously near the bridge. This is the story of surprise…

People in this episode

Host: Special Forces in World War 2 Team

Topics covered

• German airborne assault
• World War 2 history
• military operations
• Fallschirmjäger
• airborne warfare
• Belgian defense

Keywords

• Fallschirmjäger
• Unternehmen Danzig
• Albert Canal
• military history
• airborne forces
• WW2
• Veldwezelt
• Pegasus Bridge

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: 6e Compagnie, 2e Régiment de Carabiniers, 18e Régiment de Ligne

Books & works: Sturmgruppe Stahl

Places: Belgium, Veldwezelt

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