A concise writing of one of the first battles of World War II. Take away The next war will still depend on new technology. Training is always an issue. ( )

Before Pegasus Bridge, before the Merville Battery and before Arnhem there was Eben Emael. It was the prototype of the well planned, rehearsed and executed airborne operation. The German plan to sieze the bridges over the Albert Canal and to capture, or diminish the effectiveness of, the dominant Belgian fortress at Eben Emael by coup de main glider landings is well related in this book. For the record two of three bridges were captured intact permitting German armoured forces to rapidly advance through Belgium and France in May 1940. The focus of the book is the attack on Eben Emael itself. Landing on top of the fortress the small German force was able to neutralise most of its guns within a few minutes. The airborne forces held the top of the fortress for over 24 hours before being relieved by German infantry forces. Whilst never penetrating into the fortress, other than a few brief reconnaissances, the glidermen so demoralised the Belgian defenders that the fortress surrendered shortly after their relief.
The author, an American glider man himself, conducted interviews with German and Belgian survivors and has put together an almost hour by hour account of the attack and defence. It is well illustrated with adequate maps, although a better plan of the fortress and surrounding area would have been helpful. ( )