Vignette base made from 3 data CDs superglued in stack. Top of display contoured with epoxy and car ceramic molding paste. Surface dents impressed with paint brush to resemble pot-marked beach landing surface. Surface airbrushed TAMIYA Desert Tan, paint washed in TESTOR Dark Earth (filled into crevices to highlight surface). Invasion Normandy : Bloody Omaha - www.wargamer.com/Hosted/CloseCombatOmaha/doggreen.htm

Inset 1 : Base mid-construction, CD discs glued, epoxy layer placed, extra red ceramic layer contoured, area already painted with grey primer. The primer was regular paint primer from Walmart.

Rollover : Men of 29th Infantry Division wore Blue-Grey spiral arm patch (similar design to Chinese Taoist Ying-Yang black-white spiral). Formed from National Guards units since WW1 era, its motto was ""29, Let's Go!". 29th Infantry Division Historical Society - www.29infantrydivision.org

• 29th Infantry Division Historical Society Veteran Stories - www.29infantrydivision.org/WWII%20Stories/Stories%2001-20.htm

• 29th Infantry Division Composition - www.army.mil/cmh-pg/documents/eto-ob/29ID-ETO.htm

Most WW2 US divisions had some form of motto for team morale. It was military brand marcom for recruit indoctrination and team building. Here is a sample of infantry division mottos : 1st Infantry "The First!", 3rd Infantry "Blue and White Devils", 4th Infantry "Famous Fourth", 28th Infantry "28th Roll On", 35th Infantry "Attack", 70th Infantry "Trailblazers", 78th Infantry "Lightning", 79th Infantry "Cross of Lorraine", 80th Infantry "Forward".

Inset 2 : Omaha Beach landing, men scrambled past hedgehogs to get out of killzone and reach bottom of bluffs. Area between water's edge and bluffs swept by German machine-gun fire, artillery, anti-tank guns. Two Sherman amphibious wading tanks already disabled at water's end either from direct hits or stuck in large shell holes. Allies employed two types of amphibious tanks at Normandy, British used Deplux-Drive (DD) swimming tanks with floatation curtain, while Americans used tall engine snorkel Deep Wading Gear (DWG) tanks which submerged in shallow water and rode its way to beach front. DD tank - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sherman_DD

29th Infantry Division patch approved in 1917 with men drawn from Virginia and Maryland (former combatants from 1861-1865 American Civil War era, hence Blue vs Grey depiction in reference to Federal Blue uniforms and Confederate Grey uniforms), along with New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and District of Columbia. It took part in famed WW1 Meuse-Argonne Offensive battle. Deactivated in 1919 after WW1, reactivated in 1941, spent 2-year training as assault and demolition troops before 1944 Normandy invasion. 29th Infantry Division (United States) - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/US_29th_Infantry_Division

• 1918 Meuse-Argonne Offensive - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meuse-Argonne_Offensive

Inset 3 : US DWG-Sherman tanks on landing barge in transit to Normandy Invasion. Unfortunately for Americans at Omaha, only 5 DWG-Sherman tanks made to beach. As for the rest, some tanks dropped 3 miles from shore and sank like a rock, others fell into large shell holes (created by previous Allied naval bombardment), still others hit submerged mines and exploded. Even if tanks reached beach edge, the Shingle (layer of loose pebble rocks) could prevent vehicle traction. M4 Sherman - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sherman_tank

Note that German FLAK (acronym for Flugabwehrkanone or aircraft defense cannon) term was adopted into American military lexicon, but German PAK term did not. Linguistically, FLAK more readily adopted into US slang from US bomber veterans running gauntlet of German Flak during 1942-1945 European bombing campaigns. PAK term mostly adopted by European Allied veterans due to their experience engaging German PAK ambushes. Anti-aircraft warfare - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flak