St Mere Eglise
St Mere Eglise is on the Western side of the invasion area, a town inland from Utah beach, and target fo the US Airborne drop on the night of June 6th. Made famous in the film of The Longest Day, this is where the paratrooper, payed by Red Buttons, hung suspended from the church steeple, while a house on the other side of the square burned. Today a stone replica of theat real-life paratrooper, along with parachute silk, hangs from the Church. On the site of the burning house you will now find the excellent Airborne Forces museum. A complete Dakota and a complete Waco glider occupy their own buildings, along with many other vehicles, uniforms, weapons and other memorabilia from the period. A very nicely presented museum, and I found just standing in the square, looking up at the church a very moving experience.
There is just no substitute for visiting the real battlefields of WW2 in Europe if you have an opportunity to do so.
Links to other Small Scale Scene sites:-
Small Scale Scene Main Site
Military Modelling website
Section 2 - Normandy, Battlefields and even more models...
Small Scale Scene - The Real Battlefields
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