The bridges of the Albert Canal

On the morning of 10 May 1940, the Belgian defence rested in part on the Albert Canal, a broad anti-tank obstacle. Three essential bridges — Veldwezelt, Vroenhoven and Briegden — were prepared for demolition: as the enemy approached, it was enough to blow the charges to bring the German armour to a dead halt.

But the Germans had planned to land airborne commandos there by glider, at the same time as on Ében-Émael, precisely to seize the bridges intact before they could be blown. Everything would be decided in a few minutes, amid the confusion of the surprise attack.

For the Belgian engineers, the instruction was clear but the timing crucial. They could blow the bridges immediately at the first alert, even at the risk of destroying them a little too soon, to be sure of barring the crossing. They could wait for the formal demolition order, at the risk of being caught out by the commandos. Or they could try to defend the bridges and destroy them later in a coordinated way. The speed of the decision would determine whether the first Belgian line held or gave way at once.