View source for Brazilian Expeditionary Force

{{Short description|Brazilian military division during WWII}}
{{Use American English|date = September 2015}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2015}}
{{Infobox military unit
| unit_name                     = Brazilian Expeditionary Force
| native_name                   = {{lang|pt|Força Expedicionária Brasileira}}
| image                         = Brazilian Expeditionary Forces insignia (smoking snake).svg
| image_size                    = 185
| caption                       = Brazilian Expeditionary Force shoulder sleeve insignia (Army component) with a 
smoking snake
| dates                         = 1942–1945
| country                       = {{flagicon image|Flag of Brazil (1889-1960).svg}} [[Vargas Era|Brazil]]
| allegiance                    = [[Allies of World War II|United Nations]]
| branch                        = [[Brazilian Army]]<br/>[[Brazilian Air Force]]
| type                          = [[Expeditionary warfare|Expeditionary Force]]
| role                          = [[Aerial warfare]]<br>[[Combined arms]]<br>[[Expeditionary warfare]]
| size                          = 25,900
| command_structure             = 
| current_commander             = 
| garrison                      = 
| ceremonial_chief              = 
| colonel_of_the_regiment       = 
| nickname                      = 
| patron                        = 
| motto                         = 
| colors                        = 
| march                         = 
| mascot                        = 
| battles                       = {{Tree list}}
*[[World War II]]
**[[Italian campaign (World War II)|Italian campaign]]
***[[Gothic Line|Gothic Line offensive]]
****[[Battle of Monte Castello]]
****[[Battle of Garfagnana]] (Aviation)
***[[Spring 1945 offensive in Italy|Spring 1945 offensive]]
****[[Battle of Collecchio]]
****[[Battle of Bologna]] (Aviation)
****[[Battle of Montese]]
{{Tree list/end}}
| notable_commanders            = {{bulleted list |
|[[Mascarenhas de Morais]], General Commander
|Olympio Falconière da Cunha, General Inspector
|Euclidés Zenóbio da Costa, Divisional Infantry Commander
|Oswaldo Cordeiro de Farias, Divisional Artillery Commander
}}
| anniversaries                 = <!-- DUI -->
| identification_symbol = [[File:Distintivo FEB.png|100px]]<br>[[File:Brazilian Expeditionary Forces insignia (smoking snake).svg|100px]]
| identification_symbol_label = Shoulder sleeve insignias
| identification_symbol_2 = [[File:Command Flag of the 1st Brazilian Infantry Division (FEB).svg|130px]]
| identification_symbol_2_label = Flag
}}

The '''Brazilian Expeditionary Force''' ({{langx|pt|Força Expedicionária Brasileira}}, '''FEB'''), nicknamed {{lang|pt|'''Cobras Fumantes'''}} (literally "the Smoking Snakes"),<ref name=":0"/> was a [[Expeditionary warfare|military division]] of the [[Brazilian Army]] and [[Brazilian Air Force|Air Force]] that fought as part of [[Allies of World War II|Allied]] forces in the [[Mediterranean, Middle East and African theatres of World War II|Mediterranean Theatre]] of [[World War II]]. It numbered around 25,900 men, including a full [[infantry]] [[Division (military)|division]], [[Liaison aircraft|liaison]] [[Flight (military unit)|flight]], and [[Fighter aircraft|fighter]] [[Squadron (aviation)|squadron]].<ref name="Ibidem Maximiano 2011">Ibidem Maximiano, Bonalume, Ricardo N. & Bujeiro, 2011.</ref>

Placed under [[United States Fifth Army|United States command]], Brazilian troops fought primarily in the [[Italian campaign (World War II)|liberation of Italy]] from September 1944 to May 1945, while the [[Brazilian Navy]] and Air Force took part in the [[Battle of the Atlantic#South Atlantic (May 1942 – September 1943)|Battle of the Atlantic]] from mid-1942 until the end of the war.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|last=Stilwell|first=Blake|title=Why Brazilian troops had the best unit patch of World War II|url=https://www.businessinsider.com/why-brazilian-troops-had-best-world-war-ii-unit-patch-2020-7|access-date=2021-10-22|website=Business Insider|language=en-US}}</ref> The FEB operated mostly at the [[Platoon|platoon level]],<ref>Frank D. McCann, "[http://eial.tau.ac.il/index.php/eial/article/view/1193/1221 Brazil and World War II: The Forgotten Ally. What did you do in the war, Ze Carioca?]" University of New Hampshire, '''p. 61.'''</ref> seeing heavy combat at the arduous [[Gothic Line]] and during the [[Spring 1945 offensive in Italy|1945 final offensive]]. By the end of the war, it took 20,573 Axis [[Prisoner of war|prisoners]], including two [[generals]] and close to 900 [[Officer (armed forces)|officers]]. The division lost 948 men [[killed in action]] across all three services.<ref>Frank D. MacCann – 'Estudios Interdisciplinarios de America Latina y el Caribe', vol. 6, No. 2, 1995.</ref><ref name="Ibidem Maximiano 2011"/>

[[Vargas Era|Vargas era]] [[Estado Novo (Brazil)|Brazil]] was the only independent South American country to send combat troops overseas during the Second World War.<ref name=":0" /> Known for its tenacity and bravery, the FEB was well-regarded by both allies and adversaries; it served with distinction in several battles, most notably at [[Battle of Collecchio|Collecchio]], Camaiore, Monte Prano, and Serchio Valley.<ref name=":0" /> Brazil's navy and air force played important roles in protecting Allied shipping and crippling Axis maritime power, inflicting disproportionately high losses on enemy munitions, supplies, and infrastructure.<ref name=":0" />

==Overview==
Brazil's participation in World War II on the [[Allies of World War II|Allied]] side was not a foregone conclusion. Although it had supported the [[Triple Entente]] in [[World War I]]—as had now-Axis-aligned Japan and Romania—the country's [[Brazil and World War I|contribution to the war]] took place in its waning years and was primarily naval, although it also sent a small military mission to the [[Western Front (World War I)|Western Front]]. In the years leading up to World War II, Brazil was the biggest non-European consumer of German products and ranked ninth among Germany's trading partners overall. It also hosted a large and influential German community that engendered closer ties to Germany.

As in 1914, Brazil in 1939 maintained a position of neutrality, initially trading with both Allied and [[Axis powers|Axis countries]]. As the war progressed, trade with the Axis became subject to British and U.S. diplomatic and economic pressure. These efforts included the creation of the [[Brazil – United States relations#Second World War|Joint Brazil-U.S. Defense Commission]], chaired by [[United States Army|U.S. Army]] Major General [[James Garesche Ord]], which was broadly aimed at strengthening military ties between the countries; however, its central goal was to reduce the likelihood of Axis attacks on U.S. shipping across the Atlantic and minimize Axis influence in South America.<ref>Stetson Conn, Byron Fairchild, [[Office of the Chief of Military History]], Department of the Army, [https://books.google.com/books?id=ocJHAQAAIAAJ&q=garesche The Framework of Hemisphere Defense], 1960, p. 319</ref>

Although Brazil was officially neutral, it increasingly cooperated with the Allies, particularly the U.S., shortly after the latter entered [[World War II]] in December 1941. The [[Pan American States Conference]], which took place in [[Rio de Janeiro]] from 15–28 January 1942, was convened in the wake of the U.S. declaration of war against the Axis powers. The meeting centered on U.S. offers of economic assistance to Latin America countries in return for security cooperation and the severing of diplomatic ties with [[Axis powers|Axis members]]; Brazil consequently ended diplomatic relations with Germany, Japan, and Italy by the end of January.<ref>"Avalon Project – A Decade of American Foreign Policy 1941–1949 – Havana Meeting of Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the American Republics, July 21–30, 1940". ''Avalon.law.yale.edu''. Retrieved 2016-09-10</ref>

Pursuant to the conference, Brazil permitted the U.S. to set up air bases on its territory in return for assistance in developing a domestic steel industry, [[Companhia Siderúrgica Nacional]], which would serve the American war effort and afterwards benefit the Brazilian economy. The bases were located in the north-central states of [[Bahia]], [[Pernambuco]], and [[Rio Grande do Norte]], where the city of [[Natal, Rio Grande do Norte|Natal]] hosted part of the U.S. Navy's [[VP-52]] bombing squadron, later becoming the largest overseas U.S. airbase. Brazil also hosted U.S. Task Force 3, which included a squadron equipped to attack submarines and merchant vessels attempting to trade with Japan.

Nevertheless, [[Brazil during World War I|unlike in 1917]], the Brazilian government sought to avoid war and instead maintain economically beneficial ties with both sides.<ref>Jefferson Caffery to Cordell Hull, Rio, April 22, 1939, 832.00/1255, RG59, National Archives (NA) Washington.</ref> Notwithstanding its formal neutrality and reticence to declare war, Brazil's cooperation with the U.S. and break in diplomatic relations prompted immediate German reprisals. From the end of January to August 1942, German [[U-boat]]s sank 18 Brazilian merchant vessels; the spate of attacks was especially severe after June 16, when Hitler personally called for a "submarine blitz" against Brazil, having considered its closer ties with the U.S. to be tantamount to an act of war.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=McCann|first=Frank D.|date=1995-01-01|title=Brazil and World War II The Forgotten Ally. What did you do in the war, Zé Carioca|url=http://eial.tau.ac.il/index.php/eial/article/view/1193|journal=Estudios Interdisciplinarios de América Latina y el Caribe|language=en|volume=6|issue=2|issn=0792-7061}}</ref> By mid-August, the Germans were targeting shipping closer to Brazil's coast; {{GS|U-507||2}} alone sank five Brazilian vessels in two days, causing more than 600 deaths:<ref>[http://veja.abril.com.br/especiais_online/segunda_guerra/edicaoespecial/capa.shtml VEJA Edição Especial – O Brasil na Guerra] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131205124929/http://veja.abril.com.br/especiais_online/segunda_guerra/edicaoespecial/capa.shtml |date=December 5, 2013 }}</ref>

:* On August 15, the ''[[:pt:Baependi (navio)|Baependi]],'' traveling from [[Salvador, Bahia|Salvador]] to [[Recife]], was torpedoed at 19:12. Its 215 passengers and 55 crew members were lost.
:* Less than an hour later, ''U-507'' torpedoed the ''Araraquara'', also traveling from Salvador towards the north of the country. Of the 142 people on board, 131 died.
:* Seven hours after the second attack, the ''Anníbal Benévolo'' was attacked, killing all 83 passengers and all but four of its 71 crew.
:*On August 17, close to the city of [[Vitória, Brazil|Vitória]], the ''Itagiba'' was hit at 10:45, resulting in 36 deaths.
:*Another Brazilian ship, the ''Arará'', traveling from Salvador to [[Santos (São Paulo)|Santos]], was targeted as it stopped to help the crippled ''Itagiba'', suffering 20 fatalities.

In all, 21 German and two Italian submarines sank 36 Brazilian merchant ships, resulting in the deaths of nearly 2,000 people. The wave of August attacks proved to be a breaking point, especially since the victims included army soldiers and religious pilgrims. Brazil "erupted in a wave of revulsions" as anti-Axis demonstrations, some of them violent, spread across most major cities, including Rio de Janeiro. Protestors burned the flags of the Axis powers and chanted "We want war!"; in some cases, German communities were harassed.<ref>Hélio Silva, "1942 Guerra no Continente"</ref> The passive position of the Vargas government proved untenable in the face of public opinion, and on August 22, within a week of the last U-boat attack, the Brazilian cabinet approved a declaration of war against the Axis nations.<ref>McCann, Frank D. (January 1, 1995). "Brazil and World War II The Forgotten Ally. What did you do in the war, Zé Carioca". ''Estudios Interdisciplinarios de América Latina y el Caribe''. '''6''' (2). {{ISSN|0792-7061}}.</ref>

[[File:U.S. President Roosevelt and Brazilian President Getúlio Vargas aboard USS Humboldt (AVP-21), 1943 (25132077365).jpg|thumb|right| U.S. President [[Franklin D. Roosevelt]] and Brazilian President [[Getúlio Vargas]] aboard {{USS|Humboldt|AVP-21|6}}, during the [[Potenji River Conference]], with [[Harry Hopkins]], Chairman of the British-American Assignment Board (left), and [[Jefferson Caffery]], U.S. Ambassador to Brazil (right).]]

Although Brazil continued to provide much needed supplies, war material, and strategic territory for foreign bases, the decision to contribute troops came several months later, at the [[The Potenji River Conference|Potenji River Conference]] of 28 and 29 January 1943. Held in [[Natal, Rio Grande do Norte]] aboard the {{USS|Humboldt|AVP-21|6}}, the meeting between U.S. President [[Franklin D. Roosevelt]] and [[Getúlio Vargas]] resulted in greater political, economic, and military cooperation between the U.S. and Brazil, including invitations for the latter to play a larger role in the postwar global order. Vargas and Foreign Minister [[Oswaldo Aranha]] saw the commitment of soldiers as a means of solidifying the strategic partnership with the U.S., and of enhancing Brazilian prestige and influence on the global stage.

==Navy==

The participation of the [[Brazilian Navy]] in World War II was not directly connected to the FEB and the Italian Campaign, as it was largely engaged in the [[Battle of the Atlantic]]. Axis naval attacks caused nearly 1,600 deaths, which included 500 civilians, 470 merchant seamen, and 570 sailors of the Navy; roughly one in seven Brazilian sailors would perish in the campaign. A total of 36 ships were sunk by the Germans, with an additional three lost (and 350 killed) in accidental sinkings.<ref>[http://www.2guerra.com.br/sgm/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=602&Itemid=38 Relação de navios brasileiros afundados]{{dead link|date=November 2016 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

The main task of the Brazilian Navy was, together with the Allies, to ensure the safety of ships sailing between the central and [[south Atlantic]] to [[Gibraltar]]. Alone or in coordination with Allied forces, it escorted 614 [[convoys]] that protected 3,164 merchant ships and troop transports.<ref>Votaw: 1950, pp. 10579ff. 1951, p. 93.</ref> In the battle against German submarines, Brazilian [[frigates]] and [[submarines]] used [[naval mine|mines]] and [[depth charges]]. According to German documents, the Brazilian Navy attacked German submarines a total of 66 times.

The Brazilian Navy is confirmed to have destroyed twelve German submarines along its coasts: the U-boats [[German submarine U-128 (1941)|''U-128'']], [[German submarine U-161 (1941)|''U-161'']], [[German submarine U-164 (1941)|''U-164'']], [[German submarine U-199|''U-199'']], ''U-507'', [[German submarine U-513|''U-513'']], [[German submarine U-590|''U-590'']], [[German submarine U-591|''U-591'']], [[German submarine U-598|''U-598'']], [[German submarine U-604|''U-604'']] and [[German submarine U-662|''U-662'']].<ref>Heden, 2006. Pages: 58 (6, Wed.), 59 (13, Wed.), 64 (15, Thu.), 66 (17, Mon.), 70 (9, Fri.), 72–73 (19, Mon), 74 (30, Fri. and 31, Sat.); Chapters 6 (German Submarine Losses) & 7 (Italian Submarine Losses).</ref><ref>Several, James L. p. 17, section "1.16.5 Brazil".</ref><ref>Barone, 2013. Chapter 2 (final).</ref>

Among the warships lost by the Brazilian Navy were the [[minelayer]] BZ ''Camaqua'', which capsized during a storm while escorting a convoy in July 1944, and the light cruiser [[Brazilian cruiser Bahia|BZ ''Bahia'']] due to a gunnery accident in July 1945;<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.uboat.net/allies/warships/war_losses.html?navy=BZ|title=Allied War Losses|publisher=u-boat.net|access-date=20 May 2015}}</ref><ref>Bonalume, 1995. p. 216.</ref> the majority of the latter's crew were lost.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.uboat.net/allies/warships/ship/10056.html |title=BZ Bahia (C 12)|publisher=u-boat.net|access-date=20 May 2015}}</ref> Of the three Brazilian military ships lost during the war, only the [[Cargo ship|freighter]]-[[troopship]] ''Vital de Oliveira'' was due to the action of an enemy submarine, being sunk by the [[German submarine U-861|''U-861'']] on July 20, 1944.<ref>Rohwer, 1999. p. 183.</ref>

By the end of the war, the entirety of the South Atlantic convoy had been turned over to the Brazilian Navy, thereby relieving American and British vessels for urgently needed service elsewhere.<ref>[https://www.usni.org/magazines/proceedings/1950/may/brazilian-navy-world-war-ii The Brazilian Navy in World War II | Proceedings - May 1950 Vol. 76/5/567] (usni.org)</ref>

===Brazilian fleet during World War II===
{| class="wikitable" style="margin:auto; width:100%;"
! style="text-align: center; width:14%;"|Class
! style="text-align: center; width:15%;"|Boat
! style="text-align: center; width:14%;"|Displacement
! style="text-align: center; width:10%;"|Type
! style="text-align: center; width:10%;"|Origin
! style="text-align: center; width:30%; "|Note
! style="text-align:center; width:0;"|Photo
|-
| [[Minas Gerais-class battleship|''Minas Gerais''-class battleship]]
| [[Brazilian battleship Minas Geries|''Minas Gerais'']]<br>[[Brazilian battleship São Paulo|''São Paulo'']]
| 20,900 tons
| [[Dreadnought]] battleship
|  {{flag|United Kingdom}}
| 
| [[File:Minas Gerais after refit.jpg|200px]]
|-
| [[Bahia-class cruiser|''Bahia''-class cruiser]]
| [[Brazilian cruiser Bahia|''Bahia'']]<br>[[Brazilian cruiser Rio Grande do Sul|''Rio Grande do Sul'']]
| 3,100 tonnes
| [[Scout cruiser]]
|  {{flag|United Kingdom}} 
|
| [[File:Brazilian_cruiser_Bahia_4.jpg|200px]]
|-
|-
| [[Marcílio Dias-class destroyer|''Marcílio Dias''-class destroyer]]
| M1 ''Marcílio Dias''<br>M2 ''Mariz e Barros''<br>M3 ''Greenhalgh''
| 1,900 tonnes
| [[Destroyer]]
|  {{flag|United States|1912}} 
|
| [[File:040272_Marcílio_Dias_(26171333784).jpg|200px]]
|-
| [[Acasta-class destroyer|''Acasta''-class destroyer]]
| [[HMS Porpoise (1913)|''Maranhão'']]
| 950 tonnes
| [[Destroyer]]
|  {{flag|United Kingdom}}
|
| [[File:040283 Maranhão – Contratorpedeiro Maranhão (26171333414).jpg|200px]]
|-
| [[Pará-class destroyer (1908)|''Pará''-class destroyer]]
| [[Brazilian destroyer Piauí (1908)|''Piauí'']]<br>[[Brazilian destroyer Mato Grosso (1908)|''Mato Grosso'']]<br>[[Brazilian destroyer Rio Grande do Norte (1909)|''Rio Grande do Norte'']]<br>[[Brazilian destroyer Paraíba (1909)|''Paraíba'']]<br>[[Brazilian destroyer Santa Catarina (1909)|''Santa Catarina'']]<br>[[Brazilian destroyer Sergipe (1910)|''Sergipe'']]
| 570 tonnes
| [[Destroyer]]
|  {{flag|United Kingdom}}
|
| [[File:CT Mato Grosso (CT-10).jpg|200px]]
|-
| [[Cannon-class destroyer escort|''Cannon''-class destroyer]]
| ''Babitonga''<br>''Baependi''<br>''Benevente''<br>''Beberibe''<br>''Bocaina''<br>''Bauru''<br>''Bertioga''<br>''Bracuí''
| 1,500 tonnes
| [[Destroyer escort]]
|  {{flag|United States|1912}} 
|
| [[File:Brazilian frigate Bracuí (Be-3) underway, circa in the 1940s.jpg|200px]]
|-
| ''Carioca''-class corvette
| C1 ''Carioca''<br>C2 ''Cananéia''<br>C3 ''Camocim''<br>C4 ''Cabedelo''<br>C5 ''Caravelas''<br>C6 ''Camaquã''
| 818 tonnes
| [[Corvette]]
|  {{flag|Brazil|1889}} 
|
| [[File:040296_Caravelas_-_Navio_Mineiro_Caravelas_(26171332324).jpg|200px]]
|-
| ''Pernambuco''-class Monitor
| ''Pernambuco''<br>''Paraguassú''
| 650 tonnes
| Gunboat
|  {{flag|Brazil|1889}} 
|
| [[File:Monitor_Fluvial_Paraguassú_(P-2).jpg|200px]]
|-
| [[PC-461-class submarine chaser|''PC461''-class submarine chaser]]
| G1 ''Guaporé''<br>G2 ''Gurupi''<br>G3 ''Guaíba''<br>G4 ''Guarupá''<br>G5 ''Guajará''<br>G6 ''Goiânia''<br>G7 ''Grajaú''<br>G8 ''Graúna''
| 450 tonnes
| [[Submarine chaser]]/patrol boat
|  {{flag|United States|1912}} 
|
| [[File:PC-546.png|200px]]
|-
| [[Perla-class submarine|''Tupy''-class submarine]]
| S11 ''Tupy''<br>S12 ''Tymbira''<br>S13 ''Tamoyo''<br>
| 1,450 tonnes
| [[Submarine]]
|  {{flag|Kingdom of Italy}}
|
| 
|-
| [[Brazilian submarine Humaytá|''Humayta''-class submarine]]
| ''Humaytá''
| 1,900 tonnes
| [[Submarine]]
|  {{flag|Kingdom of Italy}}
|
| [[File:040286 Humaitá – Submarino Humaitá (26171332714).jpg|200px]]
|}

==Command==
[[File:Mascarenhas e Eisenhower.jpg|thumb|General [[João Baptista Mascarenhas de Morais|Mascarenhas de Morais]] (back seat, right), Brazilian army officer and commander of the FEB, with General [[Dwight D. Eisenhower]], commander of the Allied forces in Europe during World War II.]]
The Brazilian 1st Division of the FEB was subordinate to the [[15th Army Group|Allied 15th Army Group]] under Field Marshal [[Harold Alexander, 1st Earl Alexander of Tunis|Harold Alexander]] (later succeeded by General [[Mark Wayne Clark|Mark Clark]]), via the [[US Fifth Army]] of Lieutenant General Mark Clark (later succeeded by Lieutenant General [[Lucian Truscott]]) and the [[US IV Corps]] of Major General [[Willis D. Crittenberger]]. The entry for the [[Gothic Line order of battle]] provides the layout for the Allied and German armies in Italy.

FEB headquarters functioned as an administrative headquarters and link to the Brazilian [[command (military formation)|high command]] under the secretary of war, General [[Eurico Gaspar Dutra]] in Rio de Janeiro. General [[Mascarenhas de Morais]] (later marshal) was the commander of the FEB, with General [[Zenóbio da Costa]] as chief of the 6th [[Regimental combat team|Regimental Combat Team (RCT)]] of [[Caçapava]] (the first FEB RCT to land in Italy), and General Cordeiro de Farias as commander of artillery.

Theoretically, the FEB was organized as a standard U.S. infantry division of that time, complete in all aspects, down to its [[Combat service support|logistical tail]] (including postal and banking services), although some of these, like its [[Military medicine|health services]], were found to be deficient and had to be complemented, and in many cases controlled or managed by Americans.<ref>Several authors, 1949. Pages 294; 394; 414–15.</ref><ref>Due to the strong [[sexism]] in Brazilian society at that time, the participation of women in the FEB was not viewed favorably by the authorities, being discouraged officially and unofficially, even behind the lines in logistics services, in key sectors such as [[Nursing#Military nursing|military nursing]]. In this area there was a boycott attempt, not only by male Brazilian military doctors, but also by women who were in a position of influence in national politics; See [https://archive.org/details/whythisworldbiog00mose <!-- quote=why world benjamin moser. --> Moser, 2009], Page 141.</ref> Its combat units were, besides the aforementioned 6th RCT, the 1st RCT based in Rio de Janeiro, and the 11th from [[São João del Rey|São João del Rei]]. Each RCT had about 5,000 men (corresponding in size to today [[brigade]]s), divided in three then called "battalions" consisting of four [[Company (military unit)|companies]] each, including [[combat support|supporting units for combat]], and [[Combat arms|other army branches]], like [[artillery]], [[Combat engineer|engineering]], and [[cavalry]].<ref>Concerning the cavalry, it is important to highlight that this Army branch (whether in the form of larger formations, such as Army divisions Or smaller – as in the case of FEB, small supporting units attached to infantry divisions), in all armies during that conflict, was not restricted to its heavy mechanized use, as with [[Armored car (military)|armored cars]] and [[tank]]s. Not only, but especially in ''mountainous terrain'', as was mostly the Italian front, the use of animals, such as the [[mule]] (among others) and smaller vehicles like military [[bicycles]] and [[motorcycles]], were critical to the mobility of troops. More on this topic can be seen in: [https://books.google.com/books?id=j70WAQAAIAAJ&q=Nafziger+German+order+battle+infantry+WWII Nafziger 2000], and [https://books.google.com/books?id=w1ME5BWMnmgC&q=Shaping+U.S.+Military+Forces%3A Worley 2006] (Page 85).</ref> The Brazilian Air Force Fighter squadron was itself under the Mediterranean Allied Tactical Air Force.<ref>Maximiano, Bonalume & Bujeiro 2011. Page 36</ref>

==Campaign==

===Preparations===
[[File:Brazil at War (1943).ogv|thumb|American propaganda film ''[[Brazil at War]]'' (1943), praising Brazil for joining the Allies, and attempting to show similarities between Brazil and the United States]]
Soon after Brazil declared war on the Axis, it began a popular [[mobilization]] for an expeditionary force to fight in Europe.<ref>Fernando Morais; "Chatô, rei do Brasil" (Chatô, the 'king' of Brazil) {{in lang|pt}} Cia das Letras, 1994 {{ISBN|8571643962}}</ref><ref>Silva, Hélio, "1944 o Brasil na Guerra"</ref> At that time, Brazil was a country with a traditionally isolationist foreign policy.  Its population was largely rural and illiterate, its economy focused on [[export]]ing [[commodities]], and it lacked [[infrastructure]] in [[Industrial sector|industry]], [[health care]], and [[Education#Levels|education]], which was needed to support the [[war effort]] with material and human resources. Further, an action plan to circumvent these limitations (like the [[Brazil during World War I#Calogeras Plan|Calogeras Plan]] of the previous World War) was out of the question because many Brazilian military officers believed that a Nazi-Fascist defeat in Europe would increase demands for democracy within Brazil. At the time, Brazil had a military regime. It had been openly authoritarian from 1937 and sympathetic to Nazi-fascist regimes until 1941. Brazil was thus precluded from pursuing a line of autonomous action in the conflict, and found it difficult to take even a modest role in it.

Faced with the government's passivity and unwillingness, [[Assis Chateaubriand]], a mass media magnate, negotiated with US officials stationed in Brazil, for the creation of an expeditionary army division, composed of volunteers from all of [[Latin America]]. This division would be financed by him, led by a Brazilian general, and trained by American officials. This initiative was curtailed by the Brazilian government in early 1943.<ref>Ibidem Morais 1994, pp. 431 to 434</ref>

Almost two years later, Brazil officially entered the war and sent troops to the [[European Theater of Operations]].  For comparison, the gap between the US's entrance and [[Operation Torch]] was almost one year.  Several reasons contributed to the delay: political distrust between the Brazilian and American authorities, disagreements over the target size of the Brazilian Expeditionary Force, differences between Brazilian aspirations and American preferences for controlling the force, and disagreements on whether it should be fully trained and armed before boarding or get stationed behind the [[Italian Campaign (World War II)|Italian Front]] and train there.<ref>Lochery, 2014. Parts 4 and 5; Chapters 12-16.</ref>

In the end, the Brazilian government gathered a force of one [[Brazilian Army|Army]] [[Division (military)|Division]] of 25,000 men (replacements included), compared with an initial declared goal of a whole Army [[Corps]] of 100,000, to join the Allies in the [[Italian Campaign (World War II)|Italian Campaign]].<ref>"The United States News" U.S. News Publishing Corporation, 1944. Volume 16, Issues 14–26 – Page 52</ref>

===Arrival in Italy===
[[File:Massarosaw.jpg|right|thumb|Brazilian soldiers greet Italian civilians in the city of [[Massarosa]], September 1944.]]
On July 2, 1944, the first 5,000 FEB soldiers, the 6th RCT, left Brazil for Europe aboard the [[USS General W. A. Mann (AP-112)|USS ''General Mann'']], reaching [[Naples|Naples, Italy]] on July 16. Lacking weapons, equipment, and even an arrangement for [[barracks]], they remained on the docks while waiting to join the U.S. Task Force 45. The poor planning and subsequent embarrassment aroused controversy in Brazilian media.<ref>Command Magazine issue 51, page 34</ref> In late July, two more [[transport]]s with Brazilian troops reached Italy, with three more following in September and November 1944, and February 1945. One notable unit deployed was Brazil's [[Mountain Infantry Battalion (Brazil)|Mountain Infantry Battalion]].
[[File:Soldados da Força Expedicionária Brasileira na Itália durante a II Guerra Mundial.tif|thumb|Brazilian soldiers celebrate [[Independence Day (Brazil)|Brazilian Independence Day]] in Italy during World War II, September 1944.]]
The FEB dedicated its first weeks in Italy to acquiring the proper equipment to fight on Italian terrain, and to training under American command.<ref>Frank Marcio de Oliveira "Attaché Extraordinaire: [[Vernon A. Walters]] in Brazil" [[National Intelligence University|National Defense Intelligence College]] 2009 {{ISBN|9781932946222}} page 10, 2nd paragraph</ref> The preparation in Brazil, despite the two years' interval since the declaration of war, had proved almost worthless. Among the veterans of that campaign, there was a consensus that only [[combat]] could adequately prepare the soldier, regardless of the quality of training received earlier.<ref>Maximiano, 2010. Chapter 5, pg 222 to 1st paragraph of page 223</ref><ref>About the same subject, see also: [[Dave Grossman (author)|Dave Grossman]]. "[[On Killing: The Psychological Cost of Learning to Kill in War and Society|On Killing]]" & [[On Combat: The Psychology and Physiology of Deadly Conflict in War and in Peace|On Combat]], as well as [[Ishmael Beah]] "[[A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier]]" from his "enlistment" on page 105 to his formal ending of combat detoxification, page 181</ref> In August, the troops moved to [[Tarquinia]], 350&nbsp;km north of [[Naples]], where Clark's army was based. In November, the FEB joined [[Willis D. Crittenberger|General Crittenberger]]'s [[IV Corps (United States)|US IV Corps]].

In November, the Brazilians joined a [[Gothic Line order of battle#Allied Armies in Italy .28until 12 December 1944.29|multinational hodgepodge of soldiers]]. American forces included the segregated African-American [[92nd Infantry Division (United States)|92nd Infantry Division]] and the Japanese-American [[442nd Infantry Regiment (United States)|442nd Infantry Regiment]]. British forces drew from across the empire, including [[Australia]], [[2nd Division (New Zealand)|New Zealand]], [[I Canadian Corps|Canada]], [[8th Indian Infantry Division|India]], [[Gurkha|Nepal]], [[Mandatory Palestine#Mobilization|Mandatory Palestine]], [[6th Armoured Division (South Africa)|South Africa, Rhodesia]], and various African colonies. Also under British command were soldiers from occupied countries such as [[II Corps (Poland)|Poland]], [[Military history of Greece during World War II|Greece]], and Czechoslovakia, as well as anti-fascist Italians. [[French Expeditionary Corps (1943-1944)|Free French forces]] included Senegalese, [[Free French Forces#Divisions|Moroccans]] and [[3rd Algerian Infantry Division|Algerians]].<ref>Corrigan, Gordon "The Second World War" Thomas Dunne Books, 2011 {{ISBN|9780312577094}} Page 523</ref><ref>Ready, J.Lee, "Forgotten Allies: The European theatre" McFarland, 1985 {{ISBN|089950129X}} Pages 152–53, 438.</ref><ref>O'Reilly, Charles T. "Forgotten Battles: Italy's War of Liberation, 1943–1945" Lexington Books 2001 {{ISBN|0739101951}} Page 118, 3rd §</ref>

The Germans made much of the political aspect of Brazil's presence in Italy; propaganda was targeted specifically at Brazilians, in the form of leaflets and a Portuguese-language, hour-long daily radio broadcast from Berlin Radio called ''Hora AuriVerde'' (GoldenGreen Hour).<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://ww2propaganda.eu/italy/italych07.htm |title=Propaganda leaflets of World War 2: Italian theater of operations/Po Valley Campaign |access-date=November 8, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180429004849/http://ww2propaganda.eu/italy/italych07.htm |archive-date=April 29, 2018 |url-status=dead |df=mdy-all }}</ref>

===Combat===
[[File:Soldados da FEB no segundo asalto da batalha de Monte Castelo.jpg|thumb|Soldiers of the FEB during the second assault of the [[Battle of Monte Castello]] on 29 November 1944.]]
[[File:Força Expedicionária Brasileira - Força Expedicionária Brasileira na Itália (14).jpg|thumb|Brazilian soldiers in a trench during the [[Battle of Montese]], April 1945.]]
The FEB achieved battlefield successes at [[Massarosa]], [[Camaiore]], Mount Prano, Monte Acuto, San Quirico, [[Gallicano]], [[Barga, Tuscany|Barga]], [[Battle of Monte Castello|Monte Castello]], La Serra, Castelnuovo di [[Vergato]], Soprassasso, [[Montese]], Paravento, [[Zocca]], [[Marano sul Panaro]], [[Battle of Collecchio|Collecchio]] and [[Fornovo di Taro]].<ref>Edwards, 2010. Page 89.</ref>
[[File:Roteiro da FEB na Campanha da Itália.jpg|left|thumb|275x275px|Map of the Brazilian actions in northern Italy, 1944–1945. [[Brazilian National Archives|National Archives of Brazil.]]]]
The first missions the Brazilians undertook in close connection with the [[370th Infantry Regiment (92nd Infantry Division)|US 370th Infantry Regiment]], were [[reconnaissance]] operations to the end of August. Brazilian troops helped to partially fill the gap left by divisions of the [[VI Corps (United States)#Italy|US VI Corps]] and [[French Expeditionary Corps (1943-1944)|French Expeditionary Corps]] that left Italy for [[Operation Dragoon]], the invasion of southern France. On September 16, the 6th RCT took Massarosa. Two days later it also took Camaiore and other small towns on the way north. By then, the FEB had already conquered Monte Prano, and taken control of the [[Serchio]] valley without any major casualties. After having suffered its first reverses around [[Barga, Tuscany|Barga]] city, and after the arrival of the 1st RCT at the end of October, the FEB was directed to the base of the [[Apennine Mountains#Northern Apennines|northern Apennines]], on the border between [[Tuscany]] and [[Emilia-Romagna]] regions, where it would spend the next months facing the harsh winter and the resistance of the [[Gothic Line]].<ref>R.Brooks, ''The War North of Rome'', p.220 to 224</ref> Allied forces were unable to break through the mountains over the winter and [[Battle of Garfagnana|an offensive]] by German and Italian divisions to the left of the FEB sector, against the US 92nd Infantry Division, required the assistance of the [[8th Indian Infantry Division]] before it was repelled.

Between the end of February and the beginning of March 1945, in preparation for the [[Spring 1945 offensive in Italy|Spring offensive]], the Brazilian Division and the [[US 10th Mountain Division|U.S. 10th Mountain Division]] were able to capture important positions in the northern Apennines (noteworthy in the Brazilian sector, for Monte Castello and Castelnuovo), which deprived the Germans of key artillery positions in the mountains, whose effective fire had since the fall of 1944 blocked the Allied path to [[Bologna]].<ref>Baumgardner, 1998. Pages 26 to 32.</ref><ref>Bohmler, 1964. End of Chapter IX</ref><ref>Clark, 1950/2007, p.608</ref><blockquote>''Frankly, you Brazilians are either crazy or very brave. I never saw anyone advance against machine-guns and well-defended positions with such disregard for life ... You are devils'' — A German captain to a captured FEB lieutenant.<ref>Emilio Varoli, "Aventuras de um prisoneiro na Alemanha Nazista," in Depoimento de Oficiais da Reserva Sohre a F.E.B., p. 447.</ref> </blockquote>In the US Fifth Army's sector, the final offensive on the Italian Front began on 14 April, after a bombardment of 2,000 artillery pieces; an attack carried out by the troops of US IV Corps led by the Brazilian Division took Montese. After the first day of the Allied offensive, the Germans, without much effort, had stopped the main attack of IV Corps led by the US 10th Mountain Division, causing significant casualties among the troops of that formation. The Germans were misled into thinking that the FEB's raid over Montese, using [[M8 Greyhound|M8 armoured cars]] and [[M4 Sherman|Sherman Tanks]], could be the real main Allied objective in that sector, which led them to shell the Brazilians with 1,800 artillery rounds from the total of 2,800 used against all four Allied divisions in that sector during the days of the battle for Montese,<ref>Dennison de Oliveira, "Os soldados alemães de Vargas" Portuguese [ Germans against Hitler; "The German soldiers of Vargas" ] 1st Chapter, Jurua print. 2008 {{ISBN|85-362-2076-7}}</ref> when they tried unsuccessfully to take Montese back from the Brazilians. After that, the breaking of the Germans' lines to the north by forces of IV Corps became unavoidable.<ref>[[Willis D. Crittenberger]] "The final campaign across Italy"; 1952 {{ISBN|85-7011-219-X}}</ref> On the right, the [[3rd Carpathian Rifle Division (Poland)|Polish Division]], from the [[Eighth Army (United Kingdom)|British 8th Army]], and the US [[34th Infantry Division (United States)|34th Infantry Division]], from Fifth Army, entered Bologna on 21 April.

On 25 April the [[Italian resistance movement]] started a general partisan insurrection at the same time as Brazilian troops arrived at [[Parma]] and the Americans at [[Modena]] and [[Genoa]]. The British 8th Army advanced towards [[Venice]] and [[Trieste]].

At the [[Battle of Collecchio]], Brazilian forces were preparing to face fierce resistance at the [[Taro river]] region from the retreating German-Italian forces in the region of Genoa/La Spezia that had been set free by troops of the 92nd US Division. These Axis troops were [[Envelopment|enveloped]] near [[Fornovo di Taro|Fornovo]] and after some fighting [[Surrender (military)|surrendered]]. On April 28, the Brazilians captured more than 13,000 men, including the entire [[148th Reserve Division (Germany)|148th Infantry Division]], elements of the [[90th Light Infantry Division (Germany)|90th Panzergrenadier]] and the Italian [[1st Bersaglieri "Italia" Division]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-01-19 |title=Italian Bersaglieri |url=https://forum.enlisted.net/en/t/italian-bersaglieri/157034 |access-date=2025-07-24 |website=Enlisted |language=en}}</ref>

[[File:General German Brazil.png|thumb|German Colonel von Kleiber in preliminary discussions with Brazilian Major Franco Ferreira, in Fornovo di Taro, about the surrender of the German [[148th Reserve Division (Wehrmacht)|148. Infanterie-Division]] (plus remnants of the [[90th Light Infantry Division (Wehrmacht)|90. Grenadier-Division]]), ending the Battle of Collecchio, on 29 April 1945.]]
This took the German Command by surprise as it had planned for these troops to join forces with the German-Italian Army of Liguria to counterattack against the Fifth Army. Fifth Army had advanced, as is inevitable in these situations, in a fast but diffuse and disarranged way uncoordinated with air support, and had left some gaps on its left flank and to the rear. The Axis forces had left many bridges intact along the [[Po River]] to facilitate a counter-attack. German Army Command was already negotiating a truce in [[Caserta]], and hoped that a counterattack would improve the conditions for surrender. The events in Fornovo disrupted the German plan, as much by the disarray of their troops as by the delay it caused.<ref>Ibidem. Bohmler, 1964.</ref> This, added to the news of [[Adolf Hitler]]'s death and the [[Battle of Berlin|taking of Berlin]] by the [[Red Army#Second World War ("The Great Patriotic War")|Red Army]], left the German Command in Italy with no option but to accept the demand for the unconditional surrender of its troops.

In their final advance, the Brazilians reached [[Turin]] and then on 2 May they joined up with French troops at [[Franco-Italian border|the border]] in [[Susa (TO)|Susa]]. That same day brought the announcement of the end of hostilities in Italy.

==Air force==

===1st Fighter Squadron===
[[File:GAC P-47s of Brazil.jpg|thumb|right|1<sup>o</sup>GAVCA P-47s carried the "Senta a Pua!" emblem as nose art along with the Brazilian Air Force stars]]
[[File:Força Expedicionária Brasileira - Aprisionamento da 148ª Divisão Alemã, comandada pelo major general Otto Fretter Pico, pela Força Expedicionária Brasileira (3).jpg|alt=German General Otto Fretter-Pico surrendering to Brazilian General Olímpio Falconière.|thumb|{{Lang|de|[[Generalleutnant]]|italic=no}} [[Otto Fretter-Pico]] (left) surrendering to General Olímpio Falconière da Cunha (center).]]
[[File:Chegada de aviadores da Força Aérea Brasileira 01.tif|thumb|Arrival of aviators of the Brazilian Air Force who participated in the FEB, 1945.]]
The [[1st Fighter Aviation Group]] (1<sup>o</sup>GAVCA, 1st Fighter Squadron/1º Grupo de Aviação de Caça) was formed on December 18, 1943. Its commanding Officer was Ten.-Cel.-Av. (Aviation Lieutenant Colonel) Nero Moura. The Squadron had 350 men, including 48 [[Pilot (aeronautics)|pilots]]. It was divided into four flights: Red ("A"), Yellow ("B"), Blue ("C"), and Green ("D"). Unlike the FEB's Army component, the 1<sup>o</sup>GAVCA had personnel who were experienced [[Brazilian Air Force]] (Portuguese: Força Aérea Brasileira, or FAB) pilots. One of them was Alberto M. Torres, who commanded the [[PBY Catalina|PBY-5A Catalina]] that had sunk {{GS|U-199||2}} (which had been operating off the Brazilian coast).<ref>Ibidem Maximiano, Bonalume & Bujeiro 2011. P. 35-36.</ref>

Among the 48 pilots of the Brazilian Unit who carried out war missions, there was a total of 22 losses; five of the pilots were killed by anti-aircraft fire, eight had their planes shot down and bailed out over enemy territory, six had to give up flying operations on medical orders and three died in flying accidents.

The squadron trained for combat at [[List of former United States military installations in Panama|U.S. bases]] in [[Panama]], where 2<sup>o</sup> Ten.-Av. (Aviation Second Lieutenant) Dante Isidoro Gastaldoni was killed in a training accident. On May 11, 1944, the squadron was declared operational and became active in the air defense of the Panama Canal Zone. On June 22, the 1<sup>o</sup>GAVCA traveled to the US to convert to the [[P-47 Thunderbolt|Republic P-47D Thunderbolt]].<ref name="Dias de Cunha">{{cite web |last1=Dias de Cunha |first1=Rudnei |title=Republic P-47 Thunderbolt |url=http://www.rudnei.cunha.nom.br/FAB/en/p-47.html |website=www.rudnei.cunha.nom.br |access-date=23 February 2019 |archive-date=February 23, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190223184843/http://www.rudnei.cunha.nom.br/FAB/en/p-47.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>

[[File:Distintivo da FEB 1 GC.PNG|thumb|left|100px|Badge of Brazilian Fighter Squadron]]
On September 19, 1944 the 1<sup>o</sup>GAVCA left for Italy, arriving at Livorno on October 6.<ref name="Dias de Cunha" /> Since the "Group" arrived at the front with the ''Minimum Limit Number'' of pilots for an [[Group (military aviation unit)|Air Group]], and there was no prediction of replacements arrival in a forthcoming future, it was attached as a Squadron at the [[350th Fighter Group]] of the [[United States Army Air Forces|USAAF]], which in turn was part of the [[62d Fighter Wing (World War II)|62nd Fighter Wing]] of the [[12th Air Force]], into the [[XXII Tactical Air Command]].<ref name="ReferenceA">Ibidem Maximiano, Bonalume & Bujeiro 2011.</ref><ref>Buyers, 2004. P.98-99.</ref>

The Brazilian pilots initially flew from 31 October 1944, as individual elements of flights attached to 350th FG squadrons, at first in affiliation flights and progressively taking part in more dangerous missions. Less than two weeks later, on November 11, the Brazilian ''Squadron'' started its own operations flying from its base at [[Tarquinia]], using its tactical [[callsign]] ''Jambock''. Brazilian Air Force stars replaced the white U.S. star in the roundel on the FAB Thunderbolts. The 1<sup>o</sup>GAVCA started its fighting career as a fighter-bomber unit, its missions being armed reconnaissance and [[air interdiction|interdiction]], in support of the U.S. Fifth Army, to which the FEB was attached. On April 16, 1945, the [[US Fifth Army|U.S. Fifth Army]] started its offensive along the [[Po River|Po Valley]]. By then, the strength of the "Group" had fallen to the standard size of an air squadron: 23 pilots, since some had been killed, others shot down and captured, while others had been relieved from their duties on medical grounds due to wounds or combat fatigue.<ref>Buyers, 2004. P.391</ref>

On 22 April 1945, the three remaining flights took off at five-minute intervals, starting at 8:30 AM, to destroy bridges, barges, and motorized vehicles in the San Benedetto region. At 10:00 AM, a flight took off for an armed reconnaissance mission south of [[Mantua]]. They destroyed more than 80 German military vehicles, including tanks. By the end of the day, the Brazilian Squadron had flown 44 individual missions and destroyed a high number of vehicles and barges. On this day Brazilians flew the most sorties of the war; consequently, Brazil commemorates April 22 as 'Brazilian Fighter Arm' Day. The 1st Brazilian Fighter Squadron accomplished 445 missions, with a total of 2,546 flights and 5,465 hours of flight on active service. It destroyed 1,304 motor-vehicles, 13 railway wagons, 8 armoured cars, 25 railway and highway bridges and 31 fuel tanks and munition depots.

In all, the 1<sup>o</sup>GAVCA flew a total of 445 missions, 2,550 individual sorties, and 5,465 combat flight hours, from November 11, 1944 to May 6, 1945. The XXII Tactical Air Command acknowledged the efficiency of the Brazilian Squadron by noting that although it flew only 5% of the total of missions carried out by all squadrons under its control, it accomplished a much higher percentage of the total destruction wrought:

* 85% of the ammunition depots
* 36% of the fuel depots
* 28% of the bridges (19% damaged)
* 15% of motor vehicles (13% damaged)
* 10% of horse-drawn vehicles (10% damaged)<ref>Ibidem Buyers, 2004.</ref>

Total of operations of the First Brazilian Fighter Squadron in the Italy Campaign:

{| class="wikitable"
|-
| Missions accomplished || 445
|-
| Offensive missions || 2,546
|-
| Defensive missions || 4
|-
| Hours of flight in war operations || 5,465
|-
| Total hours of flight accomplished || 6,144
|-
| Total Bombs dropped || 4,442
|-
| Incendiary Bombs (F.T.I) || 166
|-
| Fragmentation Bombs (260 lbs) || 16
|-
| Fragmentation Bombs (90 lbs) || 72
|-
| Demolition Bombs (1.000 lbs) || 8
|-
| Demolition Bombs (500 lbs) || 4,180
|-
| Approximate total tonnage of bombs || 1,010
|-
| Rounds of .50 caliber ammunition fired || 1,180,200
|-
| Total rockets fired || 850
|-
| Liters of gasoline consumed || 4,058,651
|}

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Targets/Objectives !! Destroyed !! Damaged
|-
| Railway engines || 01 || 13
|-
| Motorized transport || 470 || 303
|-
| Railway and tank cars || 63 || 163
|-
| Armored cars || 07 || 11
|-
| Animal drawn vehicles || 79 || 19
|-
| Railway and highway bridges || 04 || 14
|-
| Railway and highway cuttings || 55 || 00
|-
| Buildings occupied by the enemy || 129 || 92
|-
| Camps occupied by the enemy || 18 || 14
|-
| Command posts || 02 || 02
|-
| Artillery positions || 43 || 07
|-
| Factories || 04 || 03
|-
| Miscellaneous buildings || 39 || 04
|-
| Fuel depots || 06 || 02
|-
| Refineries || 01 || 01
|-
| Radar stations || 00 || 02
|}

On April 22, 1986, the 1st Fighter "Group" of the Brazilian Air Force was awarded the United States [[Presidential Unit Citation (United States)|Presidential Unit Citation]] for its actions in the Po Valley region of Italy in World War II.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sentapua.com.br/Ing/Citacao.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041210213143/http://www.sentapua.com.br/Ing/Citacao.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=10 December 2004|title=Sinopse e Créditos|date=10 December 2004|accessdate=28 September 2018}}</ref>

===1st Liaison & Observer Flight===
In contrast to the 1st Fight Squadron, which was an Air Force unit that operated in support of the army, the 1st "Liaison & Observer Flight"  (Portuguese acronym: ''E.L.O.'') was directly under the command of the FEB.<ref>Maximiano, Bonalume & Bujeiro 2011. P.12, 17 & 35.</ref> Formed in late July 1944, the 1st ''E.L.O.'' consisted of reservist officers, namely Air Force pilots and Army [[artillery observer]]s, who flew together aboard [[Piper J-3 Cub#World War II service|Piper L-4H Cub]]s. This air unit accompanied the Brazilian division throughout its Italian campaign.<ref name="ReferenceA" />

==Aftermath==
{{multiple image
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 | caption1 = [[Brazilian Military Cemetery of Pistoia|Brazilian Military Cemetery]] in [[Pistoia]], Italy

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 | caption2 = [[Monument to the dead of World War II]] in [[Rio de Janeiro]], Brazil

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The FEB participated in the post-war occupation of [[Province of Piacenza|Piacenza]], [[Province of Lodi|Lodi]], and [[Province of Alessandria|Alessandria]]. U.S. leaders wished for Brazilian troops to take part in the Allied occupation of Europe, but in early June 1945, Brazil's secretary of war ordered that the unit be subordinate to the commander of the first military region in Rio de Janeiro; it was recalled to Brazil by the end of 1945 and, amid U.S. objections, was dissolved as a distinct military formation.<ref>Moraes, 1966. Last Chapter</ref> According to historian [[Frank McCann]],<ref>{{Cite web |title=UNH |url=http://www.unh.edu/presidentialevents/speakersbureau/speakerdetails.cfm?sid=80 |access-date=2 January 2011}}</ref> Brazil was invited to join the [[Allied-occupied Austria|Allied occupation forces in Austria]] after World War II.<ref>{{Cite news |title=País foi chamado a ocupar a Áustria |trans-title=Country was called to occupy Austria |url=http://www.estadao.com.br/estadaodehoje/20090607/not_imp383584,0.php |access-date=2 January 2011 |work=Estadão |language=Portuguese}}</ref> However, the Brazilian government was concerned that the FEB might gain political leverage from its contributions to the Allied victory, however modest. Consequently, the government decided to officially demobilize the FEB as soon as the war ended, even while the troops were still stationed in Italy.<ref name=":14">{{Cite book |last1=Castro |first1=Celso |title=Nova história militar brasileira |last2=Izecksohn |first2=Vitor |last3=Kraay |first3=Hendrik |publisher=Fundação Getúlio Vargas |year=2004 |isbn=85-225-0496-2 |language=pt}}</ref>

Upon their return to Brazil, former members of the FEB faced various restrictions. Non-military veterans, who were discharged upon their return, were prohibited from wearing their decorations or expeditionary uniforms in public. Professional military veterans were reassigned to frontier regions or areas far from major urban centers.<ref>{{Cite book |title=Depoimento de oficiais da reserva sobre a FEB |publisher=Editora Cobraci |year=1949 |language=pt |trans-title=Testimony from reserve officers about the FEB}}</ref>

Hundreds of Brazilians who perished in the final offensive were buried in the [[Brazilian Military Cemetery of Pistoia|FEB cemetery in Pistoia]]. At the urging of Marshal [[Mascarenhas de Moraes]], a new mausoleum was constructed in Rio de Janeiro for all military deaths in the war;<ref>{{Cite web |title=Monument to the Dead of World War II (Rio de Janeiro) - Visitor Information & Reviews - WhichMuseum |url=https://whichmuseum.com/museum/monument-to-the-dead-of-world-war-ii-rio-de-janeiro-23126 |access-date=2025-07-24 |website=whichmuseum.com |language=en}}</ref> in 1960, the cemetery was closed and the remains were officially interred with other Brazilian war dead in the new [[Monument to the dead of World War II|National Monument to the Dead of World War II]]. Shortly afterward, a body was found remaining in the former cemetery, and the Brazilian government inaugurated a new [[Tomb of the Unknown Soldier]] on the site in 1967.

Brazil's participation in World War II was more extensive than in any foreign conflict outside its region. Its main contribution was to the south Atlantic campaign, which was described by U.S. rear admiral [[Samuel Eliot Morison|Samuel E. Morison]] as decisive to Allied victory.<ref>Samuel Eliot Morison, The Battle of the Atlantic, 1939-1943 (Boston, 1964), p. 376. For the Brazilian navy, see Dino Willy Cozza, "A Marinha do Brasil na II Grande Guerra," Revista do Exercito Brasileiro, Vol. 131, No.3 (Jul./Set. 1994), pp. 64-66; Herbert Campbell, "A Marinha Mercante ea II Grande Guerra," ibid., pp. 71-77. Campbell provides a listing and data on the ships sunk.</ref> However, sending a ground force overseas had more political and social visibility, elevating the country's global stature and evoking national pride. The FEB was one of about 30 Allied military formations (20 divisions and 10 brigades) on the Italian Front at that time. Although it played an important part in the sectors where it operated, Brazil's role was largely tactical, and it never had a major impact on a strategic level.<ref>loriano de Lima Brayner, A Verdade Sobre a FEB: Memórias de um Chefe de Estado Maior, na Campanha da Italia, 1943- 1945 (Rio de Janeiro: Ed. Civilizayiio Brasileira, 1968), p. 234</ref> Furthermore, the Italian Front became secondary for both sides after [[D-Day|the Normandy landings]] in June 1944 and the [[Operation Dragoon|invasion of southern France]] that August. Nevertheless, the FEB was viewed by contemporaries as a largely effective fighting force, which "completed all the missions confided to it and compared favorably with the American divisions of the Fourth Corps."<ref>FRANK D. McCANN, [https://edisciplinas.usp.br/pluginfile.php/4306786/mod_resource/content/1/IAPFrankMcCannonBrazil%20and%20World%20War%20II%20%281%29.pdf Brazil and World War II: The Forgotten Ally. What did you do in the war, Zé Carioca?] University of New Hampshire.</ref>

==Nickname==
[[File:Pracinhas e Dilma.jpg|thumb|Then-President [[Dilma Rousseff]] with veterans of the FEB (known as ''pracinhas'') during a ceremony to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the end of [[World War II]], 8 May 2015.]]
Due to the Brazilian regime's unwillingness to get more deeply involved in the Allied war effort, by early 1943 a popular saying was: "Mais provável uma cobra fumar um cachimbo, do que a FEB ir para a frente da luta" (literally: "It's more likely for a snake to smoke a pipe than for the FEB to go the front and fight").<ref>{{in lang|pt}} [http://www.exercito.gov.br/01inst/Historia/sinopse/cobra.htm FEB's participation in World War II] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927200700/http://www.exercito.gov.br/01inst/Historia/sinopse/cobra.htm |date=September 27, 2007 }}. [[Brazilian Army]] Retrieved July 31, 2007</ref><ref group="note">Portuguese: ''Mais fácil uma cobra fumar um cachimbo, do que a FEB embarcar para o combate.''</ref> Before the FEB entered combat, the expression "a cobra vai fumar" ("the snake will smoke") was often used in Brazil in a context similar to "[[pigs fly|when pigs fly]]"; soldiers in the division subsequently called themselves ''Cobras Fumantes'' (literally, ''Smoking Snakes'') and wore a shoulder patch depicting a green snake smoking a pipe. It was also common for Brazilian soldiers to write on their mortars, "A Cobra Está Fumando..." (literally: "The Snake Is Smoking...").<ref>{{Cite web |title=Memorial da Democracia - A FEB na Itália: a cobra vai fumar! |url=http://memorialdademocracia.com.br/card/a-cobra-esta-fumando |access-date=2025-07-24 |website=Memorial da Democracia}}</ref> After the war the meaning was reversed, signifying that something will definitively happen in a furious and worse way. With that second meaning the use of the expression "A Cobra Vai Fumar!" (literally: "The Snake Will Smoke!") has been retained in Brazilian Portuguese until the present.

==See also==
* [[Brazil in World War II]]
* [[Battle of the Atlantic|Atlantic naval campaign (World War II)]]
* ''[[Brazil at War]]'' – American propaganda film about the Brazilian contribution.
* [[Battle of Monte Castello]]
* [[Battle of Collecchio]]
* [[Brazil during World War I]]
* [[Elza Medeiros]] – a Brazilian major, she was the highest-ranking female officer in the FEB.
* [[Max Wolff (soldier)|Max Wolff]] – A Brazilian war hero from the FEB.
* [[Mexican Expeditionary Air Force]]

==Footnotes==
{{reflist|group=note}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Bibliography==
{{refbegin}}
* Barone, João. ''1942: O Brasil e sua guerra quase desconhecida (1942: Brazil and its almost forgotten war)'' (in Portuguese), Rio de Janeiro, 2013. {{ISBN|8520933947}}
* Baumgardner, Randy W. ''10th Mountain Division''. Turner Publishing Company, {{ISBN|978-1-56311-430-4}}
* {{cite book|first=Rudolf| last=Bohmler| title=Monte Cassino: a German View |publisher=Cassell |year=1964| ASIN =B000MMKAYM}}
* Brooks, Thomas R. ''The War North of Rome (June 1944 – May 1945)''. Da Capo Press, 2003. {{ISBN|978-0-306-81256-9}}.
* Buyers, John. ''História dos 350th fighter group da Força Aérea Americana'' (in Portuguese). UFAL–Universidade Federal de Alagoas, 2004. {{ISBN|978-85-7177-322-6}}.
* Calikevstz, Viviane Regina. "'Categoria especial da sociedade': estudo do patrimônio cultural e da representatividade social da Força Expedicionária Brasileira – FEB" ('Special category of the society': a study of cultural heritage and social representativeness of the Brazilian Expeditionary Force – FEB) (in Portuguese) PhD thesis in Geography - State University of Ponta Grossa, PR, 2017 <http://www.portalfeb.com.br/wp-content/uploads/Tese-Final-pronta-entregue-a-biblioteca.pdf {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180830005711/http://www.portalfeb.com.br/wp-content/uploads/Tese-Final-pronta-entregue-a-biblioteca.pdf |date=August 30, 2018 }}>
* Castro, Celso with Vitor Izecksohn and Hendrik Kraay. ''Nova História Militar Brasileira''. Chapters 13 & 14 (in Portuguese). FGV-Fundação Getúlio Vargas, 2004. {{ISBN|85-225-0496-2}}.
* [[Mark Wayne Clark|Clark, Mark Wayne]]. [https://books.google.com/books?id=N8o9SKt1ZjIC&q=calculated+risk ''Calculated Risk''] New York: Enigma Books, 1950, republished 2007. {{ISBN|978-1-929631-59-9}}.
* [[Willis D. Crittenberger|Crittenberger, Willis D.]] ''The final campaign across Italy''; year of edition {{in lang|en}} 1952. {{ISBN|857011219X}} of 1997 reprint {{in lang|pt}}
* Edwards, Paul M. ''"Between the Lines of World War II: Twenty-One Remarkable People and Events"'' McFarland & Co. Inc. Publishers 2010 {{ISBN|9780786446674}}. Chapter 9 "The Smoking Cobras".
* Giannasi, Andrea. ''"Il Brasile in guerra; La partecipazione della Força Expedicionaria Brasileira alla Campagna d'Italia (1944–1945)"'' {{in lang|it}} Prospettiva editrice (Civitavecchia-Roma) 2004. {{ISBN|88-7418-284-8}}
* Heden, Karl E. ''Sunken Ships, World War II'' Branden Books, 2006. {{ISBN|0828321183}}
* Maximiano, Cesar Campiani. ''Barbudos, Sujos & Fatigados; Soldados Brasileiros na II Guerra Mundial'' (Bearded, Dirty & Tired; Brazilian soldiers in World War II) (in Portuguese); Grua Livros, 2010. {{ISBN|85-61578-13-0}}.
* Maximiano, Cesar. with Bonalume, Ricardo N. & Bujeiro, Ramiro. [https://books.google.com/books?id=L6HVtOSmWAEC&q=Brazilian+Expeditionary+Force+WWII ''Brazilian Expeditionary Force in World War II'']{{Dead link|date=August 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}. Osprey Publishing Ltd., 2011. {{ISBN|9781849084833}} (Print version).
* [[Mascarenhas de Moraes|Moraes, Mascarenhas de.]], ''The Brazilian Expeditionary Force, By Its Commander'' US Government Printing Office, 1966. {{ASIN|B000PIBXCG}}
* Morais, Fernando. ''Chatô, o Rei do Brasil'' ('Chatô, The King of Brazil') (in Portuguese). Cia das Letras, 1994. {{ISBN|85-7164-396-2}}.
* Morison, Samuel Eliot "History of United States Naval Operations in World War II: The Battle of the Atlantic; September 1939–May 1943" Little Brown, 1947. {{ISBN|0252069633}}
* Lochery, Neill. ''Brazil: The Fortunes of War, War II and the Making of Modern Brazil'' Basic Books, 2014 {{ISBN|9780465039982}} 
* Neto, Ricardo Bonalume. ''A nossa Segunda Guerra: os brasileiros em combate, 1942–1945'' {{in lang|pt}} Expressão e Cultura, 1995. {{ISBN|9788520801918}}
* Ready, J. Lee. ''Forgotten Allies: The European Theatre, Volume I''. McFarland & Company, 1985. {{ISBN|978-0-89950-129-1}}.
* Ready, J. Lee. ''Forgotten Allies: The Military Contribution of the Colonies, Exiled Governments and Lesser Powers to the Allied Victory in World War II''. McFarland & Company, 1985. {{ISBN|978-0-89950-117-8}}.
* Rohwer, Jürgen. ''Axis submarine successes of World War Two: German, Italian, and Japanese submarine successes, 1939–1945'' Greenhill Books, 1999. {{ISBN|1853673404}}
* Several authors; ''Depoimento de Oficiais da Reserva sobre a F.E.B.'' ("Testimony of Reserve Officers on Brazilian Expeditionary Division"), {{in lang|pt}} Editora Cobraci, 1949
* Several, James Lewis. [https://books.google.com/books?id=qNWqCQAAQBAJ&q=james+several%2C+battle+of+the+atlantic ''World War II: Battle of the Atlantic''] Kreactiva Editorial,
* Silva, Hélio. ''1942 Guerra no Continente'' (in Portuguese). Civilização Brasileira, 1972.
* Silva, Hélio. ''1944 o Brasil na Guerra'' (in Portuguese). Civilização Brasileira, 1974.
* ''The 350th Fighter Group in the Mediterranean Campaign, 2 November 1942 to 2 May 1945'' Atglen, Pennsylvania: Schiffer Publishing, 2004. {{ISBN|0-7643-0220-5}}.
* Votaw, Homer C. (1950–51), ''The Brazilian Navy in World War II'' Published by U.S. Government Printing Office, 1950 on ''Congressional Record: Proceedings and Debates of US Congress, Volume 96, Part 8. Senate.'' And by ''Military Review, Volume XXX, Number X'', in 1951.
{{refend}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
* [http://www.tau.ac.il/eial/VI_2/mccann.htm "Brazil and World War II: The Forgotten Ally: What did you do in the war, Zé Carioca?"] An article about the formation and contribution of Brazil on the Allied ''war effort''.
* [https://archive.today/20131028030948/http://www.portalfeb.com.br/sobre/forca-expedicionaria-brasileira/ Portal da FEB] Website {{in lang|pt}} with histories, biographies, photos, videos, testimonials from veterans.
* [http://www.forcaaereablog.aer.mil.br/index.php?p=1787 "Senta Pua!"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131029200909/http://www.forcaaereablog.aer.mil.br/index.php?p=1787 |date=October 29, 2013 }} {{in lang|pt}} Official Blog of the'' 'FAB''' (Brazilian Air Force) {{in lang|pt}} about the participation of its ''1st Fighter Group'' in World War II.

{{World War II}}
{{Getúlio Vargas}}

[[Category:Brazil in World War II]]
[[Category:Expeditionary units and formations]]
[[Category:Military history of Brazil during World War II]]
[[Category:Military units and formations of World War II]]
[[Category:Military units and formations of Brazil]]
[[Category:Military units and formations established in 1943]]
[[Category:Articles containing video clips]]
[[Category:Military units and formations disestablished in 1945]]
[[Category:Military history of the Mediterranean]]