At the outbreak of World War II, Fort Eben Emael in Belgium was the strongest fortress in the world, and it lay exactly across the German invasion route of Belgium and France. The fort's elimination was essential for the success of Hitler's invasion of the West. Deemed impregnable to conventional attack, Hitler himself suggested the means for its capture with the first glider-borne assault in military history. On 10 May 1940, ten gliders carrying just 77 paratroopers landed on top of the fort. Using top-secret hollow-charge weapons for the first time in warfare, the assault pioneers of Sturmgruppe Granit subdued Fort Eben Emael within just 30 minutes, and the fortress surrendered within 30 hours. It remains one of the greatest raids in the annals of Special Forces.

Simon Dunstan is a well-established author, film-maker and photographer in the field of military history, and has published several titles with Osprey. He specialises in armoured warfare, and has written on this subject for two decades. His books have covered topics such as helicopter and armoured warfare in Vietnam, the Challenger main battle tank, the British Guards and armoured warfare in Korea. Simon lives and works in London.