The defenders held on until a platoon of German reinforcements arrived and forced them to retire to a nearby village .
Thus the airborne troops prevented the Belgians from destroying the bridge , though they still faced the rest of the Belgian defenders .
The defenders held on until a platoon of German reinforcements arrived and forced troops to retire to a nearby village .
Thus the airborne troops prevented the Belgians from destroying the bridge , though they still faced the rest of the Belgian defenders .