{"product_id":"the-church-at-sainte-mere-eglise","title":"The Church at Sainte Mère Église - Diorama | 1:35 Scale","description":"\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e🔒 BATTALION EXCLUSIVE — DIRECT LINK ONLY — LIMITED INITIAL RELEASE\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003chr class=\"border-border-200 border-t-0.5 my-3 mx-1.5\"\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eJune 6, 1944. 0130 hours. The sky above Sainte-Mère-Église was on fire.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\"\u003eThe pathfinders had dropped incendiary markers. A building in the town square was burning. French civilians formed a bucket brigade under German guard while the garrison watched the sky. And then the sky filled with parachutes.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\"\u003eThe men of the \u003cstrong\u003e82nd Airborne Division\u003c\/strong\u003e were coming down directly into the town — into the firelight, into the gunfire, into the worst possible drop zone a paratrooper could imagine. German soldiers opened fire on men who were still in their harnesses. Some landed on rooftops. Some landed in the town square. Some landed in trees.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePrivate John Steele\u003c\/strong\u003e landed on the steeple of the church.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\"\u003eHis parachute snagged on the spire of the \u003cstrong\u003eÉglise Notre-Dame de Sainte-Mère-Église\u003c\/strong\u003e, and Steele hung there — suspended above the battle, unable to cut himself free, playing dead while the fighting raged below him. German and American soldiers killed each other in the streets and the churchyard while Steele dangled from the steeple, listening to it all.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\"\u003eHe was eventually cut down and taken prisoner. He later escaped and rejoined American lines. The town was liberated by the 82nd Airborne by dawn — \u003cstrong\u003ethe first town in France to be liberated on D-Day.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\"\u003eToday, the church at Sainte-Mère-Église still has a paratrooper mannequin hanging from the steeple in Steele's honor. It's one of the most photographed sites in Normandy. If you've been there, you've stood in the square and looked up. If you haven't, you've seen it in \u003cem\u003eThe Longest Day\u003c\/em\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\"\u003eNow you can build it.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003chr class=\"border-border-200 border-t-0.5 my-3 mx-1.5\"\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhat you're building:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul class=\"[li_\u0026amp;]:mb-0 [li_\u0026amp;]:mt-1 [li_\u0026amp;]:gap-1 [\u0026amp;:not(:last-child)_ul]:pb-1 [\u0026amp;:not(:last-child)_ol]:pb-1 list-disc flex flex-col gap-1 pl-8 mb-3\"\u003e\n\u003cli class=\"font-claude-response-body whitespace-normal break-words pl-2\"\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003e2,287 pieces\u003c\/strong\u003e in 1:35 scale — this is a \u003cstrong\u003efull diorama\u003c\/strong\u003e, not just a vehicle\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli class=\"font-claude-response-body whitespace-normal break-words pl-2\"\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003e18 inches tall. 12.5 inches wide.\u003c\/strong\u003e The church dominates any shelf it sits on.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli class=\"font-claude-response-body whitespace-normal break-words pl-2\"\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003e10 figures included:\u003c\/strong\u003e\n\u003cul class=\"[li_\u0026amp;]:mb-0 [li_\u0026amp;]:mt-1 [li_\u0026amp;]:gap-1 [\u0026amp;:not(:last-child)_ul]:pb-1 [\u0026amp;:not(:last-child)_ol]:pb-1 list-disc flex flex-col gap-1 pl-8 mb-3\"\u003e\n\u003cli class=\"font-claude-response-body whitespace-normal break-words pl-2\"\u003e5 German soldiers — the garrison defending the town\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli class=\"font-claude-response-body whitespace-normal break-words pl-2\"\u003e4 American paratroopers — the 82nd Airborne dropping into the fight\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli class=\"font-claude-response-body whitespace-normal break-words pl-2\"\u003e1 French civilian — because the people of Sainte-Mère-Église were in the middle of it all\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli class=\"font-claude-response-body whitespace-normal break-words pl-2\"\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eJohn Steele with parachute\u003c\/strong\u003e — hanging from the church steeple exactly as it happened\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli class=\"font-claude-response-body whitespace-normal break-words pl-2\"\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003e1 German half-track\u003c\/strong\u003e — armored presence in the town square\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli class=\"font-claude-response-body whitespace-normal break-words pl-2\"\u003eThe church itself — the spire, the facade, the churchyard, the scene of one of the most iconic moments in the history of the Second World War\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003chr class=\"border-border-200 border-t-0.5 my-3 mx-1.5\"\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e🎖️ BATTALION EXCLUSIVE PRICING — LIMITED INITIAL RELEASE\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eRetail:\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003cdel\u003e$299.99\u003c\/del\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eYOUR PRICE: $249.99\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e$50 off.\u003c\/strong\u003e Direct link only. Limited initial production run. This is the most ambitious build in the BrixKrieg catalog — and The Battalion gets it first.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"BrixKrieg","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":54134997647659,"sku":"ST_MR_EGLS","price":299.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0948\/0155\/9851\/files\/CHIHA_e0352dd8-061c-4539-bea0-c64850d3ecfb.png?v=1783650195","url":"https:\/\/brixkrieg.com\/products\/the-church-at-sainte-mere-eglise","provider":"BrixKrieg","version":"1.0","type":"link"}