The Bloody Boot
by Daniel Navo
The Normandy Landing wasn’t the only day American troops suffered great losses. In Italy – the bloody boot – US troops fought for months against tremendous odds, but their courageous spirit brought them through.
An example is this lone US soldier depicted in the diorama with his wounded leg in the path of the on coming tank. He’s willing to sacrifice his life by shooting out the track of the German Panther Tank with his grenade launcher mounted on his rifle in hopes of disabling the tank in order to give his troops waiting by the farm house the opportunity to hold off the offensive.
The tank is the Italeri Panther Standard Tank and the now effect was created by using Woodland Scenics “Soft Flake”.
My Dad, George Navo, is a WWII Vet. He’s still sharing his experiences and those told by other soldiers he met during the war.
This gave me an inspiration to create the diorama in their honor. I feel that we need reminders of the sacrifices our men endured and this is just a small personal tribute in their honor. I had the vision of this battle in my head for over 2 years before building it.
Photos by Daniel Navo