(1) 6:30, June 6, 1944, on Omaha beach of Normandy Atlantic Wall, a solider of the German 352nd division was leisurely reading a newspaper in the bunker, with a dog standing still before a sack of potatoes, absent-minded...
(Scenario description: the desk, chairs and beds are specially designed by the chief designer Wang Tao through research. The candy toys on the desk are from Hong Kong, and the cups are from Dresden.)
(2) The commander, who seemed to have a hunch that something may happen, ordered his men to keep on the alert.
(3) The scout was astonished to find American LCVPs in the morning haze: “Landing crafts! American!”
（4）报告！紧急报告！美军在奥马哈海滩登陆啦！
(5) Combat alert! Ammunition!
(6) “The desert fox” Erwin Rommel could not find a way out, as his plan of annihilating the enemy troops on the beachhead with the SS elite armored division was delayed, and he was told not to disturb the leader who was sleeping. The German troops were doomed to failure on the second battlefield of Europe and even World War II!
(Scenario description: Erwin is in desert dress of North African campaign, suggesting that the “desert fox” is hurried to the Atlantic Wall)
(7) The advance guards of Scarlet Division and The 29th Infantry Division went ashore Omaha Beach under poor covering fire. Due to strong winds and high tides, the heavy weapons sank into the ocean successively, and the first eight companies were almost all exposed to heavy German bullet fire.
(Scenario description: The 1:6 American LCVP is carefully designed by Wang Tao. It can ride on water, and the front cabin door can be extended and retracted manually! It should be the only 1:6 American LCVP in China. This LCVP was known in the microfilm “ALONE AT WAR GAME”, sailing on Lightening Lake of Bashang grassland, Hebei. In the amphibious landing during World War II, the American forces used 1,089 LCVPs at Normandy alone. Supreme Allied Commander Dwight Eisenhower spoke highly of LCVPs, “they (LCVPs) are the most important vessels in World War II…Andrew Higgins from New Orleans is the man who won the war for us.”)
(8) This is an intentionally rendered battlefield photo, inspired by the D-Day pictures taken by the famous war photographer, Robert Capa. He is famed for saying, “If your pictures aren’t good enough, you're not close enough.” Unfortunately, a dark room accident saw an assistant melt the negatives, destroying all but a few snapshot images Capa had captured.
(Scenario description: This is standard dressing of The 29th Infantry Division, which exactly follows the standard at the time: M1 helmet with Blue and Gray Division symbol that looks exactly like Taijitu, HBT uniform, M41 field jacket, M38 leggins, USMC boots, as well as M42 first-aid pouch, M3 gas mask, M5 gas mask bag, M28 haversack, M1926 lifebelt, sapper shovel, M1 Garand rifle, M1905 bayonet, M1923 cartridge belt, cartridge. Please note that the Thomson submachine gun in his hand is loaded!)
(9) Affected by the tide and gun smoke, only two companies of the American troops successfully arrived at the assigned locations.
(Scenario description: The German fortification and curtain design, which relatively meets the perspective scale, is completed by Wang Tao, chief designer of SKYOVER Studio. The curtain is kindly produced by www.china.com, China’s largest military website. Wang Tao is one of the top masters in China in terms of designing 1:6 models especially models of main battlefields of the anti-Fascist war.)
(10) Wave height 12 meters, force 5 wind! 16 landing ship tanks, 64 tanks and 10 LCVPs sank into the ocean!
(Scenario description: The 1:6 scenario of Omaha Beach is built in a 2000㎡ greenhouse of Rongqing Ecopark, Caiyu Town, Daxing ,Beijing by stacking up ten trucks of sand. The Sherman tanks on the “beach” are made in three materials – plastic, reinforced plastic and aluminum alloy, and two states – static and movable, reflecting refined collection among today’s model collectors in China.)
(11) Facing hundreds and thousands of casualties, the American troops shouted and called the convoy fleet to give fire cover, but the Motorola walkie-talkies always went wrong. That’s perhaps why the American troops still refuse to use any communication devices of Motorola after its acquisition today.
— The reason is simple: Motorola is slow!
(12) Tom Hanks, Keanu Reeves and other Hollywood stars who are “assigned” to grassroots units confront the assault landing of the American troops. They have no choice but fight their way out with other soldiers on “The Longest Day”!
(Scenario description: With his1911pistol running out of ammunition, Tom Hanks gives us an impression of being completely helpless…)
(13) Such heavy weapons did not land on Omaha Beach on June 6 70 years ago in the first assault wave.
(Scenario description: I designed an artistic expression of “truth in assumed scenario”– an American soldier is crouching in the armored truck, clouded over; outside the armored truck are warriors rushing in a hail of bullets. He is not George Bush senior, a veteran who fought the Japanese army during World War II, but George Bush junior who likes to play tricks in Iraq and Afghanistan. Please note that the Garand rifle in George Bush junior’s hand is not loaded…)
(14) Everyone knows “Rommel’s Asparagus”, but is this soldier dead, or he is just too tired and having a nap in the gun smoke? Hope it’s not the former…
(15)(16) It’s a contrast carefully designed by us: the first one is a battlefield picture of Robert Capa style, while the second restores the shock of history –Norman D. COTA, Brigadier General of The 29th Infantry Division, facing the high casualties and possession of only 9-meter-wide area at the eastern end of Omaha Beach, waved his hand and shouted, “There are only two kinds of people on this beach; the dead and those about to die. So let’s get the hell out here.” Colonel George Taylor, Commander of the 16thInfantry of Scarlet Division also rallied his men: “Gentlemen, we are being killed on the beaches. Let’s go inland and be killed.”
(17)The casualties of American troops on Omaha Beach exceeded 40 million.
(Scenario description: “Doc Baker”, the medic for The Big Red One, is a typical American solider introduced by DML Company: the figure shows firm and persistent expressions, M1941 field jacket is wind-resistant and water-proof, and all tools including bandages and stanches are available.)
(18) The German army also suffered horrible casualties.
(Scenario description: This is the only German matron produced by DML. The drip stand is from Los Angeles Barbie doll set, while the dried blood stains on the German soldier’s chest are left deliberately during the location shooting of “ALONE AT WAR GAME” on Lightening Lake two years ago. Guess what? The blood stains are made of China’s special condiment –red yeast which is used for making fermented bean curd!
(19) The American troops suffered casualties of over 1,000 before the bunker WN62, which was inflicted by a 20-year-old German soldier, Heinrich Severloh. Later called “Beast of Omaha”, he fired over 12,000 rounds with the machine gun and 400 with the rifles within nine hours.
(20) After the end of World War II, Heinrich Severloh who was conscience-stricken tried to find American soldiers who survived in that bunker, and finally got in touch with David Silva, an American veteran wounded thrice on Omaha Beach! They hugged for five minutes as they met!
We can no longer see the two veterans on the Omaha Beach of June 6, 2014, but we all remember a sentence in Chapter v of Gospel According to St. Matthew, “Love your enemies!”“Hatred paralyzes life; love releases it.”
(21) In the morning of D-Day, maybe no one believes that the weak German air force had lost their forcefulness. In the dim morning there was only one Messerschmitt 109 fighter hovering above the battlefield, then climbing quickly and disappearing in the relentless rain. Without air control, the Germany army was doomed to failure!
(Scenario description: Besides that Messerschmitt fighter, the American P-51D Mustang fighter on the lantern support is so far the world's largest polyfoam electric model airplane of P-51D:
Specifications:
★ Wing span: 2000mm/78.8in
★ Length: 1740mm/68.5in
★ Weight: 6500g/229.3 oz
Configurations:
★ Remote control system: EFLY-9D 2.4G
★ Engine: 5060 KV500
★ Electrical modulation: 90A brushless
★ Battery: 22.2V, 5000mAh/6S 20C lithium
★ Steering engine: 9g×6, 17g×7
The two model airplanes are not PNP empty airplanes but flyable RTF model airplanes.
(22) The mission of The Scarlet Division, which has a history of more than eight decades, is: “NO MISSION TOO DIFFICULT, NO SACRIFICE TOO GREAT, DUTY FIRST, SIR”. The Big Red One fought for 443 days during the four years of World War II, its soldiers won a total of 20,752 medals and awards, but it suffered 21,023 casualties. As of the end of World War II, there were less than 100 veterans who had taken part in the invasion of North African.
(23) “Omaha Beach was a nightmare. I have returned many times to honor the valiant men who died on that beach… Every man who set foot on Omaha Beach that day was a hero.” recalled Omar Bradley, first Chairman of the NATO Military Committee.
On June 6, 2014, Francois Hollande, Barack Obama, Vladimir Putin, Elizabeth II, David Cameron, Angela Merkel, Stephen Harper and many other people returned to Omaha Beach to pay homage to the D-day heroes.
(The 1:6 Scenario Rebuilding of Omaha Beach, so far the largest exhibition of 1:6 world war II models in China, is completely planned and implemented by non-governmental circles, and debuted at the first Chinese Military Culture Festival held on May 31-June 2, 2014. It is a high tribute of Chinese people who love peace and advocate freedom and equality for the defenders and victims of peace. In 2015, “China Army Museum” will introduce 1:6 scenario of war in the Pacific against Japanese army to celebrate the 70th anniversary of victory for worldwide anti-fascist, and scenarios of Kuomintang, CCP and the Soviet battles against Japanese invaders to commemorate the 70thAnniversary of Victory of War of Resistance against Japan. Looking forward to your participation to share the memorable moments.)
Publisher – Contributor – Collector: Xie Weilie
Designer – Art designer – Property manager: Wang Tao