The Brazilian Expeditionary Force (Portuguese: Força Expedicionária Brasileira, or FEB) was the 25,300-man force formed by the Brazilian Navy, Army and Air Force that fought alongside the Allied forces in the Italian Campaign of World War II. Categories: Naval stubs | Military of Brazil | Navies ... The Brazilian Army is the land arm of the Brazilian Military force. ... Brazilian Air Force Seal The Brazilian Air Force (Força Aérea Brasileira, or FAB) was founded on January 20, 1941, during the Second World War. ... In general, allies are people or groups that have joined an alliance and are working together to achieve some common purpose. ... The Italian Campaign of World War II was the name of Allied operations in and around Italy, from 1943 to the end of the war. ... Combatants Allies: • Soviet Union, • UK & Commonwealth, • USA, • France/Free France, • China, • Poland, • ...and others Axis: • Germany, • Japan, • Italy, • ...and others Commanders Strength Casualties Full list Full list World War II, also known as the Second World War, was a large scale military conflict that took place between 1939 and 1945. ...

Overview

It was not at all obvious that Brazil would join the Allied powers in World War II. Initially Brazil maintained neutrality, trading with both the Allies and the Axis, while Brazilian president Getúlio Vargas's quasi-Fascist policies indicated a leaning toward the Axis powers. However, with the increasing trade with and diplomatic efforts by the United States and United Kingdom, Brazil permited in 1941 the US to set up air bases in the states of Bahia, Pernambuco and Rio Grande do Norte, where the city of Natal received part of the US VP-52 naval squad. Also, the U.S. Task Force 3 established itself in Brazil, including a squad equipped to attack submarines and merchant vessels which tried to exchange goods with Japan. Neutral means balanced between two or more opposites. ... A fruit stand at a market. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... See also List of Presidents of Brazil The President of the Federal Republic of Brazil is the head of state and head of government of Brazil. ... Getúlio Dornelles Vargas (April 19, 1882 - August 24, 1954) was the president of Brazil from 1930 to 1945 and from 1950 to his suicide in 1954. ... Fascism (in Italian, fascismo), capitalized, was the authoritarian political movement which ruled Italy from 1922 to 1943 under the leadership of Benito Mussolini. ... The United Nations, with its headquarters in New York City, is the largest international diplomatic organization. ... For the movie, see 1941 (film) 1941 (MCMXLI) was a common year starting on Wednesday. ... Map of the All Saints bay in 1882 Flag of Bahia Bahia is a state in the north-east of Brazil. ... Flag of Pernambuco See other Brazilian States Capital Recife Largest City Recife Area 98,281 km² Population   - Total   - Density 7,918,344 80. ... Flag of Rio Grande do Norte See other Brazilian States Capital Natal Largest City Natal Area 53,015 km² Population   - Total   - Density 2,770,730 52. ...

Besides being technically neutral, the increasing cooperation with the Allies led the Brazilian government to announce, on 28 January 1942 the decision to sever diplomatic relations with Germany, Japan and Italy. January 28 is the 28th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the year. ...

In July 1942, around thirteen Brazilian merchant vessels were sunk by German U-Boats. About one hundred people died as a result of these attacks, most being crew members. At the time, Vargas decided not to take further measures against the Axis in an attempt to avoid an escalation of the conflict involving Brazil. This article is about the year. ...

However, in August 1942, one single German submarine, the U-507, sunk five Brazilian vessels in two days, causing more than six hundred deaths: This article is about the year. ...

• On August 15, the Baependy, travelling from Salvador to Recife was torpedoed at 19:12. Its 215 passengers and 55 crew members were lost.
• At 21:03, the U-507 torpedoed the Araraquara, also going from Salvador towards the north of the country. Of the 142 people on board, 131 died.
• Seven hours after the second attack, the U-507 attacked the Aníbal Benévolo. All 83 passengers died; of a crew of 71, only four survived.
• On August 17, close to the city of Vitória, the Itagiba was hit at 10:45, and had a death toll of 36.
• Another Brazilian ship, the Arará , travelling from Salvador to Santos, stopped to help the crippled Itagiba, but end up being the fifth Brazilian victim of the German ship, with a death toll of 20.

The Brazilian population was restless. In the capital Rio de Janeiro, the people started to retaliate against German businesses, such as restaurants. The passive position of the Getúlio Vargas government was not enough to calm public opinion. Ultimately, the government found itself with no other choice but to declare war on the Axis on August 22, 1942. August 15 is the 227th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (228th in leap years), with 138 days remaining. ... Salvador and Baía de Todos os Santos from space, April 1997 Morning Street Scene, Bahia, Brazil, about 1900 Salvador (in full, São Salvador da Baía de Todos os Santos, meaning Holy Savior of the Bay of All Saints) is a city on the northeast coast of Brazil... Boa Viagem discrict. ... A torpedo in Rail terminology refers to a small explosive device strapped to the top of the rail to alert an approaching train of immediate danger ahead. ... August 17 is the 229th day of the year (230th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... Palácio Anchieta, former Colégio de São Tiago, in downtown Vitória is the seat of the Governor of the State of Espírito Santo reformed in 1912 by André Carloni, italian engineer contracted by Jerônimo Monteiro. ... Santos, originally Portuguese or Spanish for Saints (singular Santo), may mean a great number of different things: // Surname Santos is a common surname in Portuguese and Spanish. ... Ipanema beach, in the South Zone, immortalised by Tom Jobim and Vinicius de Morais song The Girl from Ipanema Rio de Janeiro (meaning River of January in Portuguese), pron. ... Getúlio Dornelles Vargas (April 19, 1882 - August 24, 1954) was the president of Brazil from 1930 to 1945 and from 1950 to his suicide in 1954. ... Public Opinion is a book on media and democracy by Walter Lippmann. ... A Declaration of War is a formal declaration issued by a national government indicating that a state of war exists between that nation, and one or more others. ... August 22 is the 234th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (235th in leap years), with 131 days remaining. ... This article is about the year. ...

Command

The Brazilian 1st Division of the FEB was under the command of 15th Army Group of Field Marshal Harold Alexander (later General Mark Clark), via the US Fifth Army of Lieutenant General Mark Clark (later Lieutenant General Lucian Truscott) and the US IV Corps of Major General Crittenberger. The Brazilian Air Force component was under the command of XXII Tactical Air Command, which was itself under the Mediterranean Allied Tactical Air Force. The FEB headquarters functioned as an administrative headquarters and link to the Brazilian high command of Generals Eurico Gaspar Dutra, Mascarenhas de Moraes, Zenóbio da Costa and Cordeiro de Farias. (Redirected from 15th Army Group) The British/American 15th Army Group was an important unit in World War II. It was activated in 1943 in Algiers, North Africa, to plan the invasion of Sicily. ... Field Marshal Harold Rupert Leofric George Alexander, 1st Earl Alexander of Tunis (December 10, 1891 - June 16, 1969) was a British military commander and Field Marshal, notably during World War II as the commander of the 15th Army Group. ... Mark Wayne Clark (May 1, 1896 - April 17, 1984) was an American general during World War II and the Korean War. ... The US Fifth Army was one of the principal formations of the US Army in the Mediterranean during World War II. It was activated on 4 January 1943 and made responsible for the defence of Algeria and Morocco. ... Lucian King Truscott, Jr. ... High command may refer to: Chain of command Commander-in-Chief Defence minister NeoCracer Category: Disambiguation ... Eurico Gaspar Dutra, (1883-1974), was a Brazilian general, politician and president of Brazil from 1946-1951. ... Marshal João Baptista Mascarenhas de Moraes (November 13, 1883 - September 17, 1968) was the commander of the Brazilian Expeditionary Force in the Second World War. ...

The FEB was organized as a standard American infantry division, complete in all aspects, down to its logistical tail, including postal and banking services. It comprised the 1st, 6th and 11th Infantry Regiments of the Brazilian Army. Each regiment had three battalions, each of four companies. Infantry of the Royal Irish Rifles during the Battle of the Somme, First World War. ... Symbol of the Polish 1st Legions Infantry Division in NATO code A division is a large military unit or formation usually consisting of around ten to fifteen thousand soldiers. ... It has been suggested that Logistics Overview be merged into this article or section. ... Postbox redirects here. ... For other uses, see Bank (disambiguation). ... A regiment is a military unit, larger than a company and smaller than a division. ... Symbol of the Austrian 14th Armoured Battalion in NATO code In military terminology, a battalion consists of two to six companies typically commanded by a lieutenant colonel. ... // US Army In the United States military, infantry companies are usually made up of three rifle platoons and a heavy weapons platoon; tank companies are usually made up of three tank platoons and a command element. ...

The campaign

Soon after Brazil declared war it began the mobilization to create an Expeditionary Force to fight in Europe. This was a giant US-sponsored effort to convert an obsolete army into a modern fighting force. It took two years to properly train the 25,300 troops to join the Allied war effort. Mobilization or mobilisation is the act of assembling and making both troops and supplies ready for war. ... World map showing Europe Europe is conventionally considered one of the seven continents which, in this case, is more a cultural and political distinction than a physiogeographic one. ... Army (from French armée) can, in some countries, refer to any armed force. ... Training refers to the acquisition of knowledge, skills, attitudes as a result of the teaching of vocational or practical skills and knowledge and relates to specific useful skills. ...

In early July 1944, the first five thousand FEB soldiers left Brazil to Europe aboard the USNS General Mann, and disembarked in Naples, where they waited for the US Task Force 45, which they later joined. On late July, two more transports with Brazilian troops reached Italy, with two more following in November and February 1945. Look up July in Wiktionary, the free dictionary July is the seventh month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar and one of seven Gregorian months with the length of 31 days. ... 1944 (MCMXLIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar). ... Naples panorama Naples (Italian Napoli, Neapolitan Napule, from Greek Νέα Πόλις - Néa Pólis - meaning New City; see also List of traditional Greek place names) is the largest city in southern Italy and capital of Campania Region and the Province of Naples. ... Look up July in Wiktionary, the free dictionary July is the seventh month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar and one of seven Gregorian months with the length of 31 days. ... Look up November in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Look up February in Wiktionary, the free dictionary February is the second month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1945 (MCMXLV) was a common year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1945 calendar). ...

The first weeks of the Brazilians in Italy were dedicated to acquiring and training with the new American uniforms, since the Brazilian ones would not suit the Italian climate. The troops moved to Tarquinia, 350 km north of Naples, where Clark's army was based. The FEB was later integrated into General Crittenberger's IV Corps. The first missions of the Brazilians involved reconnaissance operations. This page describes uniform in the sense of clothing. ... Tarquinia, formerly Corneto and in Antiquity Tarquinii, is an ancient city in the province of Viterbo, Lazio, Italy. ... Naples panorama Naples (Italian Napoli, Neapolitan Napule, from Greek Νέα Πόλις - Néa Pólis - meaning New City; see also List of traditional Greek place names) is the largest city in southern Italy and capital of Campania Region and the Province of Naples. ... Mixed reconnaissance patrol of the Polish Home Army and the Soviet Red Army during Operation Tempest, 1944 Reconnaissance is the military term for the active gathering of information about an enemy, or other conditions, by physical observation. ...

The Brazilian troops helped to fill the gap left by several divisions of the Fifth Army and French Expeditionary Force that left Italy for the invasion of southern France. On November 16, the FEB occupied Massarosa. Two days later it also occupied Camaiore and other small towns on the way north. November 16 is the 320th day of the year (321st in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 45 days remaining. ... Occupation may refer to: the principal activity (job or calling) that earns money for a person (see List of occupations, employment, profession, business) the periods of time following a nations territory invasion by controlling enemy troops (see Military occupation) the act of settling onto an uninhabited tract of land...

By then the FEB had already conquered Monte Prano, controlled the Serchio valley and the region of Castelnuovo, without any major casualties. The Brazilian soldiers, after that, were directed to the base of the Apennines, where they would spend the next months, facing the harsh winter and the resistance of the Bernhard and Gustav lines. This is about the terrestrial mountain range. ... The Bernhardt Line (or Reinhard Line) was a German defensive line in Italy during World War II. Unlike most of the other defensive lines it did not run all the way across Italy, but was merely a bulge in the Gustav Line in the region of Monte Cassino, enclosing the... The Winter Line was a series of German military fortifications in Italy, constructed during World War II by Organisation Todt. ...

It was in that region that the Brazilian soldiers, together with men of many other nationalities, made one of their main contributions to the war: the Battle of Monte Castello. The combined forces of the FEB and the American 10th Mountain Division were assigned the task of clearing Monte Belvedere of Germans and minefields. The Brazilians suffered from ambushes, machine gun nests, and heavy barrages of mortar fire. In English usage, nationality is the legal relationship between a person and a country. ... (Redirected from 10th Mountain Division) Shoulder sleeve patch of the United States Army 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry). ... Various anti-tank and anti-personnel land mines A landmine is a type of self-contained explosive device which is placed onto or into the ground, exploding when triggered by a vehicle or person. ... An ambush is a long established military tactic in which an ambushing force uses concealment to attack an enemy that passes its position. ... US soldier firing an M224 60-mm mortar. ...

On late February, while the battle for Monte Castello was still taking place, parts of the FEB conquered the city of Castelnuovo and, on March 5, Montese. The German mass retreat had started. In just a few days, Parma and Bologna were taken. After that, the main concern of the Allied forces in Italy was pursuing the enemy. After capturing a large number of Germans on Collecchio, the Brazilian forces were preparing to face fierce resistance at the Taro region from what was left of the retreating German army. The German troops were surrounded near Fornovo and forced to surrender. More than sixteen thousand men, including the entire 148th Wehrmacht Infantry Division, parts of the 80th Panzer division, several Italian units and more than a thousand vehicles, surrendered to the Brazilian Forces on April 28. Look up February in Wiktionary, the free dictionary February is the second month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... March 5 is the 64th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (65th in leap years). ... The term retreat has several related meanings, all of which have in common the notion of safety or temporarily removing oneself from ones usual environment. ... Parma is a medieval city in the Italian region of Emilia-Romagna, with splendid architecture and a fine countryside around it. ... Bologna (pronounced , from Latin Bononia, Bulåggna in the local dialect) is the capital city of Emilia-Romagna in northern Italy, between the Po River and the Apennines. ... Your Grandma. ... The Taro is a 126 km-long river in northern Italy, tributary to the Po River. ... Surrender is when soldiers give up fighting and become prisoners of war, either as individuals or when ordered to by their officers . ... April 28 is the 118th day of the year (119th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 247 days remaining. ...

On May 2, the Brazilians reached Turin and met French troops at the border. Meanwhile, on the Alps, the FEB was on the heels of German forces still on the run. On that very day, the astounding news that Hitler was dead put an end to the fighting in Italy. All German troops finally surrendered to the Allies in the following hours. May 2 is the 122nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (123rd in leap years). ... Turin (Italian: ; Piedmontese: Turin) is a major industrial city in north-western Italy, capital of the Piedmont region, located mainly on the west bank of the Po River. ... Border stone at Passo San Giacomo between Val Formazza in Italy and Val Bedretto in Switzerland Borders define geographic boundaries of political entities or legal jurisdictions, such as governments, states or subnational administrative divisions. ... The West face of the Petit Dru above the Chamonix valley near the Mer de Glace. ... Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (April 20, 1889 – April 30, 1945, standard German pronunciation in the IPA) was the Führer (leader) of the National Socialist German Workers Party (Nazi Party) and of Nazi Germany from 1933 to 1945. ...

The Air Force

Formed on 18 December 1943, the 1ºGAVCA had its cadre composed of volunteer FAB (Força Aérea Brasileira) pilots. Its Commanding Officer was Ten.-Cel.-Av. Nero Moura. The Group had 350 men, including 43 pilots, and was sent to Panama for combat training, since the pilots already had flying experience — one of its pilots, 2º Ten.-Av. Alberto M. Torres, was the pilot of the PBY-5A Catalina that had sunk the U-199. December 18 is the 352nd day of the year (353rd in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1943 (MCMXLIII) is a common year starting on Friday. ...

There, the Group suffered its first casualty — 2º Ten.-Av. Dante Isidoro Gastaldoni (KIFA).On 11 May 1944, the Group was declared operational and became active in the air cover in the Canal Zone, equipped with the Curtiss P-40.

Following the completion of its initial training, the Group was sent to the USA on 22 June for an operational conversion course on to the Republic P-47D Thunderbolt that was to equip the 1ºGAVCA.

The Group departed to Italy on 19 September 1944, arriving at Livorno on 6 October. There it became part of the 350th Fighter Group USAAF, an unit which had been formed on 1 October 1942 in Britain. Several of its first pilots had served previously with the Royal Air Force or the Royal Canadian Air Force. After the Allied landings in Northern Africa (Operation "Torch"), the 350th FG was transferred to that region and followed the Allied invasion of Italy. Until the arrival of the 1ºGAVCA, the 350th FG was made up of three squadrons: 345th Fighter Squadron ("Devil Hawk Squadron"), 346th FS ("Checker Board Squadron") and 347th FS ("Screaming Red Ass Squadron"). When the 1ºGAVCA — or, rather, the 1st Brazilian Fighter Squadron, 1st BFS — was incorporated to the 350th FG, that unit was subordinated to the 62nd Fighter Wing, XXII Tactical Air Command, 12th Air Force USAAF. The call-signs for each of the Groups component squadrons were: 345th FS, "Lifetime"; 346th FS, "Minefield"; 347th FS, "Midwood"; and 1st BFS, "Jambock" September 19 is the 262nd day of the year (263rd in leap years). ... 1944 (MCMXLIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar). ... October 1 is the 274th day of the year (275th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... This article is about the year. ...

THE BADGE OF THE 1ºGAVCA

The badge of 1ºGAVCA was designed while the Squadron was travelling to Italy aboard the transport ship UST Colombie by a group of its pilots, Ten.-Av. Rui Moreira Lima, Ten.-Av. José Rebelo Meira de Vasconcelos, Ten.-Av. Lima Mendes and Cap.-Av. Fortunato C. de Oliveira. Drawn by the latter, it can be described as follows, according to its author:

- The green-yellow surrounding represents Brazil; - The red field behind the fighting ostrich represents the war skies; - The bottom field - white clouds - represents the ground to a pilot; - The blue shield charged with the Southern Cross is the common symbol for the Brazilian Armed Forces; - The ostrich represents the Brazilian fighter pilot, whose face is inspired in that of Ten.-Av. Lima Mendes, and also the stomach of the veterans of 1ºGAVCA; - The white cap was part of the FAB uniform at the time and distinguished the Brazilian pilots from the other Allied pilots; - The gun being hold by the ostrich represents the firepower of the P-47, with its eight .50in machine-guns; - The motto "Senta a Pua!" is the war cry of 1ºGAVCA; - The white streak, at the right, ending on a flak burst, was added later, and represents the danger brought by the German anti-aircraft artillery to the pilots (this device appeared only on replacement aircraft).

The use of an ostrich to represent the Brazilian fighter pilots comes from the fact that, during the early Forties, several Brazilian aircrew went to the USA to fly back to Brazil the aircraft then being bought in large numbers by the Brazilian authorities, not only training but also combat aircraft. During their stay in that country, they got acquainted to American food: baked beans, powder eggs and powder milk, among other items. The then Cel.-Av. Geraldo Guia de Aquino dubbed the pilots "ostrichs" and the nickname caught.

The war cry "Senta a Pua!" was a suggestion from Ten.-Av. Rui who had heard it several times from Cap.-Av. Firmino Alves de Araujo while serving at Salvador Air Base; it was used by the latter on his subordinates, inviting them to do their tasks at once and quickly. It became the Brazilian equivalent of the British Tally-Ho and the French "À la Chasse!".

IN ACTION!

The Brazilian pilots initially flew from 31 October 1944 as individual elements of flights of the 350th FG US squadrons, at first in affiliation flights and progressively taking part in more dangerous missions. October 31 is the 304th day of the year (305th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 61 days remaining, as the final day of October. ... 1944 (MCMXLIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar). ...

Less than two weeks later, on 11 November, the Group started its own operations, flying from its base at Tarquinia, using its call-sign Jambock.

The Group was divided into four flights, Vermelha (Red), Amarela (Yellow), Azul (Blue) and Verde (Green).Each flight had a complement of roughly 12 pilots, these having been flying together since their training spell in Panama. A pilot customarily wore an echarpe in the colours of his flight. The CO of the Group and some officers were not attached to any specific flight.

The Thunderbolt colour scheme

Initially the P-47s were finished in standard US fighter colours, olive-drab (top surfaces) and neutral grey (undersurfaces) (except those aircraft of the commander and operations officer which were finished in natural metal and olive-drab anti-glare panels). The badge of the Group was painted just after the engine cowling, and the aircraft code (flight letter-aircraft number) was in white letters over the cowling.

National insignia was in four positions, this being the US star-and-bar, with the white star replaced by the Brazilian star. Later, replacement aircraft were in natural metal, with olive-drab anti-glare panels, the codes being in black (click here for some pictures of the colour schemes).

COMBAT MISSIONS

The Brazilian pilots had been trained in the US for fighter operations -- but the Luftwaffe had by then nearly no airplanes in Italy! Thus the 1ºGAVCA started its fighting career as a fighter-bomber unit, its missions being armed reconnaissance and interdiction, in support of the US 5th Army, to which the Brazilian Expeditionary Force was attached.

On 16 April 1945, the US 5th Army started its offensive along the Pó Valley. On this date, the Group was reduced to 25 pilots, some having been killed and others, having been shot down, becoming POWs. Also, some had been relieved from operations on medical grounds due to combat fatigue. The Yellow flight was thus disbanded, its remaining pilots being distributed among the other flights. Each pilot flew on average two missions a day.

On 19 April, the German frontline was broken, this having been first signalled to Command HQ by the Group. The Allied forces had to set up a bridgehead across the River Pó, before the German forces crossed it. This was to be done on the 23 April, after a softening up of the German defences by the Air Force on the previous day.

THE 22 APRIL 1945 - DAY OF THE BRAZILIAN FIGHTER ARM

The day dawned cold, overcast and foggy. The three flights took off at 5 minute intervals starting at 8:30 AM, to attack targets in the San Benedetto region, destroying bridges, barges and motorized vehicles.

At 10:00 AM, a flight took off for an armed reconnaissance mission south of Mantua - more than 80 trucks and vehicles were destroyed. Other aircraft attacked fortified German positions, tanks and barges.By the end of the day, the Group had flown 44 individual missions, having destroyed more than a hundred vehicles as well as barges, etc.

Two P-47s were damaged and a third was shot down, its pilot, 2º Ten.-Av. Armando de S. Coelho being taken prisoner. This was the day when more sorties than ever were made by the Group, and is commemorated each year as the Brazilian Fighter Arm Day.

THE RESULTS

The 1ºGAVCA flew a total of 445 missions, 2,550 individual sorties and 5,465 combat flight hours, from 11 November 1944 to 4 May 1945. The XXII Tactical Air Command acknowledged the efficiency of the Group by noting that, between 6 to 29 April 1945, it flew only 5% of the total of missions carried out by all squadrons under its control, but destroyed:

- 85% of the ammunition depots, - 36% of the fuel depots, - 28% of the bridges (19% damaged), - 15% of motor vehicles (13% damaged) and - 10% of horse-drawn vehicles (10% damaged).

The actions of the 1ºGAVCA during the Italian Campaign were even more exalted on 22 April 1986. On that day the Group received, from the Mr. Ambassador of the USA to Brazil, together with the Secretary for the USAF, the Presidential Unit Citation (Air Force), given by the US Government. It is with pride that we acknowledge that, apart other few USAF units, only the 1ºGAVCA and two Royal Australian Air Force units - Nos. 2 and 13 Squadrons - have received this citation.

"Their deeds will remain alive while men fly. Their victories in the battlefields will be in our hearts while courage and heroism are treasured by men ."

E. Aldridge Jr., Secretary for the USAF, at the bestowing ceremony of the Presidential Unit Citation to the 1ºGAVCA

The outcome

During eight months of the campaign, the Brazilian Expeditionary Force managed to take 20,573 Axis prisoners (two generals, 892 officers and 19,679 other ranks) and had 443 of its men killed in action. In the military sciences, a military campaign encompass related military operations, usually conducted by a defense or fighting force, directed at gaining a particular desired state of affairs, usually within geographical and temporal limitations. ... Militaries use the term killed in action (KIA) as a casualty classification. ...

The soldiers buried in the FEB cemetery in Pistoia were later removed to a mausoleum built in Rio de Janeiro. The mausoleum was idealised by Mascarenhas de Moraes (then a Marshal). It was inaugurated on July 24, 1960 and covers an area of 6,850 square meters. Graves at Green-Wood Cemetery, Brooklyn, New York A cemetery is a place (usually an enclosed area of land) in which dead bodies are buried. ... Pistoia (ancient Pistoria) is a city in the Tuscany region of Italy, the capital of a province of the same name, located about 30 km (18 mi) west and north of Florence. ... St. ... Ipanema beach, in the South Zone, immortalised by Tom Jobim and Vinicius de Morais song The Girl from Ipanema Rio de Janeiro (meaning River of January in Portuguese), pron. ... St. ... Marshal João Baptista Mascarenhas de Moraes (November 13, 1883 - September 17, 1968) was the commander of the Brazilian Expeditionary Force in the Second World War. ... July 24 is the 205th day (206th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 160 days remaining. ... 1960 (MCMLX) was a leap year starting on Friday (link will take you to calendar). ...

The Nickname

It is often said that, being questioned about the possibilities of a Brazilian Expeditionary Force entering the war against the Axis, Hitler would have said that "before Brazil joins the Allies, snakes will smoke pipes". As a result of this tale, the Brazilian Expeditionaries called themselves Cobras Fumantes (literally, Smoking Snakes) and wore a divisional shoulder patch which showed a snake smoking a pipe. Youth with pipe, by Hendrick Jansz Terbrugghen A smoking pipe is a device used for smoking combustible substances such as tobacco and cannabis. ...

Up to this day, the expression a cobra vai fumar (The snake will smoke) is often used in Brazil on a manner similar to "something wicked this way comes".

References

• http://cliente.enersulnet.com.br/victorbarone/br/htm/feb.htm
• http://www.battlefront.co.nz/Article.asp?ArticleID=251
• http://www.worldwariihistory.info/in/Brazil.html
• http://www.sentandoapua.com.br

External links

• An article about the formation and the contribution of the FEB by A Frank D. MacCann, "Brazil and World War II: The Forgotten Ally: What did you do in the war, Zé Carioca?", 'Estudios Interdisciplinarios de America Latina y el Caribe', vol. 6, No. 2, 1995 (in English)
• WW2 propaganda leaflets: A website about airdropped, shelled or rocket fired propaganda leaflets. BEF propaganda in Italy / Po Valley.
• Pictures of the German unconditional surrender to the Brazilian Expeditionary Force (in Portuguese)
• Pictures of the Brazilian Monuments and Memorials in Italy (in Portuguese)
• The Conquer of Montese (in Portuguese).
• Pictures of the mausoleum in Rio de Janeiro
• More pictures and information about the mausoleum in Rio de Janeiro (in Portuguese)
• History of the Brazilian Air Force in World War II (in Portuguese)