The Battle of Maastricht was one of the first battles that took place during the German Campaign on the Western Front during World War II. Maastricht was a key city in order to capture the Belgian Fort Eben-Emael and split the allied armies in half.
The German goal of the operation was to take the main bridges over the river Maas intact, to have an easier road to central Belgium. Therefore, the Germans sent in teams disguised as civilians whose job was to sabotage the bridge charges. However, they were spotted and arrested, and when they attempted to run, shot.
HistoryLayer draws the world as it was in any year from 123,000 BCE to
2026. Move the slider and the borders redraw for that year; the map
carries 23,890 events, 12,790 people, 837 wars and 13,183 cities, each
one readable in place. Signing in is optional and lets you keep what
you find.