In the photo we see a noncommissioned officer who wears on his left shoulder the badge of the Força Expedicionária Brasileira (FEB), shot of a Springfield 1903 rifle caliber 30-06, decorated with a nice “papagaio”. Its head is protected with the fiber hull (liner), which goes under the steel piece (pot) of the American M1. The entire FEB was equipped with the Springfield rifle when it was integrated into the 5th Army of the US Army.
In early 1942, Brazil allowed the US establish air bases in its territory in exchange for the US offer to promote an important iron and steel industry in the South American country. The US bases, crucial for the surveillance of maritime traffic in the Atlantic, were located in the northern states of Bahia, Pernambuco and Rio Grande do Norte (ugly beaches the Johnnies chose). The city of Natal housed part of the US Navy VP-52 Bombing Group, while Task Force 3, which included a squadron equipped to attack submarines and merchant ships attempting to trade with the Axis, was also established in the northeast Brazilian.
Although Brazil remained neutral, the growing cooperation with the Allies led the Brazilian government to announce at the Conference of Pan American States, held in Rio de Janeiro on January 28, 1942, its decision to break diplomatic relations with Germany, Japan and Italy . As a result, from that date until July 1942, although there was still no declaration of war between Germany and Brazil, the German submarines sank 13 Brazilian merchant ships. In August 1942, only U-507 sank five Brazilian ships in two days, causing more than 600 deaths.
In total, 21 German and 2 Italian submarines sank 36 Brazilian merchant ships that involved thousands of victims, which led the Brazilian government to declare war against the Axis on August 22, 1942.
Brazil and Mexico were the only countries in Latin America to provide organic combat units to the Allied Forces. Argentina, while neutral until the end of the conflict, participated with thousands of volunteers who enlisted, mainly, in the FF.AA. Canadian and British.
The FEB, made up of almost 26,000 Army and Air Force men and organized according to US standards, was deployed in Italy in July 1944 and fought until the end of the war. They were highly respected by the Allies and enemies for their exemplary performance. They played an important role in the rupture of the Gothic Line, a line of German defensive positions in the very complicated Italian geography.
With regard to aviation, the Hunting Aviation Group No. 1 "Senta a pua", composed of P-47D Thunderbolt aircraft, one of the two air units deployed in Italy, stood out for its performance.
The Marinha do Brasil also worked hard in the Battle of the Atlantic. Within its limitations and with the reconditioning and reorganization promoted with US resources, the Brazilian Navy actively participated in the fight against submarines in the South Atlantic, in the Central Atlantic and also the Caribbean Sea. They guarded allied convoys bound for North Africa and the Mediterranean.
Between 1942 and 1945, the Marinha do Brasil was responsible for conducting 574 convoy escort operations that protected 3,164 merchant ships of various nationalities. The enemy submarines managed to sink only three ships. According to German documentation, the Brazilian Navy carried out 66 attacks against German submarines and a total of 9 German submarines were destroyed along the vast Brazilian coast.
The Brazilians had a total of 948 killed in combat and more than 2,000 injured at the end of the war in Europe. Some 1,100 Brazilians died during the Battle of the Atlantic as a result of the sinking of 32 Brazilian merchant ships and one warship.
Corrected.
