The Brazilian Navy and Air Force played a large role in the Battle of the Atlantic. 450 BEF troops and 13 officers died while fighting on the front. During the eight months of battle in Italy, the BEF captured a total of 20,573 Axis soldiers. They captured 14,700 troops and 800 officers (including 2 Generals). At the Battle of Collecchio the BEF defeated the German 148th Division and the Italian Monte Rosa, San Marco and Italia divisions. They were the 1st, 6th and 11th regimental combat teams. The BEF was divided into three battalions of 5,000 men each. They wore American uniforms with Brazilian rank and unit markings. They were organized as a standard American division. They called themselves the "Smoking Cobras".
#World war ii online wikipedia Patch
When the BEF did enter the war, they proudly wore their arm patch showing a cobra with a pipe in its mouth. It is the same as the saying "When pigs fly", meaning it will probably never happen. A popular saying at the time was that it was more likely for "snakes to smoke" ( Portuguese: Cobras Fumarem) than to get the BEF going. Some in Brazil thought the government was not that anxious to send troops into battle. They were delayed in getting started by difficulties in getting organized. They were organized as a division of the US Fifth Army. The Brazilian Expeditionary Force or BEF ( Portuguese: Força Expedicionária Brasileira) was a force of about 25,344 men. It is known that 9 U-Boats were sunk off the Brazilian Coast over the course of the war.īadge of the Brazilian Expeditionary Force The Smoking Cobras Finally, Vargas declared war on both Germany and Italy on August 22 1942.
The sinkings were the main reason that led the Brazilian government to declare war against the Axis. In total, 21 German and two Italian submarines caused the sinking of 36 Brazilian merchant ships causing 1,691 drownings and 1,079 other casualties. This would initially help supply the Allies industrial demand for steel, and after the war, contribute to the country’s industrialization and development.īrazil also broke off diplomatic relations with Germany, Japan, and Italy.Īs a result of Brazil´s decision, from the end of January to July 1942, German navy U-boats sank 13 Brazilian merchant ships, causing severe damage to Brazilian shipping. This came as an agreement that the US would help establishing a national steel industry in Brazil, the Companhia Siderúrgica Nacional. At the beginning of 1942 Brazil permitted the US to set up air bases on its soil. This led to the Joint Brazil-U.S Defense Commission, which was designed to counter Axis influence in South America. The Americans pressured Brazil to join the Allies. They turned to the United States as a trading partner. But after 1939 the war made trade with Europe difficult. They traded with both the Allied and Axis Forces. At the beginning of World War II Brazil was neutral.
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