The Germans also devised novel tactics to overcome the Belgian fortifications. In the initial attack on Eben-Emael [0], for example, commandos descended on the

The Germans also devised novel tactics to overcome the Belgian fortifications. In the initial attack on Eben-Emael [0], for example, commandos descended on the fort in gliders in the black of night and used newly devised shaped charges to destroy the heavily bunkered Belgian guns. Blitzkrieg itself was a new tactic, but its success depended on surprise, which the Germans achieved by sending their main mechanized force through the rough, wooded terrain of the Ardennes while feinting an attack to the north, through the plain of Flanders, where the Belgians and French expected them. That was a hugely risky endeavor, and the offensive would probably have failed if the German movements had been discovered during the several days it took to cross the Ardennes Wood. 0. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Eben-Emael http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Eben-Emael