About this unit: news

The Brazilian expeditionary force was a Brazilian army and air force division sent to Italy in early 1944 to help the allied effort to expell Nazi forces from the italian front. Tensions begun to rise in 1942, after German U-boats attacked and sunk Brazilian merchant ships exporting supplies to the U.S to help in the war effort. The attacks resulted in the deaths of many brazilian civilians and sailors, with over 36 brazilian vessels having been sunk and over 1.000 deaths being reported. The brazilian population then started demanding from the brazilian government for the country's armed forces to join the war, wich was initially rejected. A saying started to become popular among the population, that being "it's easier for a snake to smoke a pipe then Brazil to join the war". After intense pressure from the population, the government then declared war on germany and the axis powers in 1942, and the army begun preparing forces to join the war in the western front. Meanwhile, the Brazilian navy and air force started a campaing to sink down all german U-boats in the Brazilian coast, wich was succesfull. As the mentioned saying had become very popular, The brazilian expeditionary force adopted The smoking snake as it's unit patch, and the volunteers begun receiving standard military training in Brazil.
As a tropical country, Brazil knew no harsh winter, so the BEF men were sent to the U.S to train under Harsh winter conditions. By the end of 1943 the BEF was trained and hungry for battle. They arrived in Italy in early 1944 and took part in major battles and offensives to free that country.

The BEF took part in the following battles and offensives:

Gothic Line
Battle of Monte Castello
Battle of Garfagnana
Battle of Castelnuovo
Spring 1945 offensive in Italy
Battle of Collecchio
Battle of Bologna
Battle of Montese

BEF performance during the war:

By the start of the war, the americans and europeans Doubted the Brazilian expeditionary Force was capable of performing effectiveness in battle, wich was shown utterly wrong. The Brazilian expeditionary force was the only allied unit in the italian front to have captured an entire german division on it's own, with the 148th Infanterie-Division of the German general Otto Fretter-Pico having surrendered to Brazilian forces in the battle of Collecchio in May 1945. The brazilians also were the first units to reach Monte castello and break the Gothic line, then helped U.S 10th mountain division that was still struggling with their objectives in Monte belvedere and Monte della torraccia. The BEF also played a major role as the main combat force in the battle of montese.

By the end of the war The Brazilian army had captured over 20.000 axis soldiers. 4.000 animals and over 2.500 german vehicles. They defeated the german forces in every engagement they were envolved in.

The air force had destroyed 85% of the enemy ammunition depots, 36% of the enemy fuel depots, 28% of the enemy bridges and 15% of enemy motor vehicles.

In total Brazilian casualties counted 457 and some 2.000 were injured.

BEF additional Info:

The BEF counted 25.700 men (and a few women), from wich 15.000 were combat troops.

The equipment operated by the BEF was:

Vehicles and cannons:

Tank: M8 Greyhound Light tank;
Apc: M3 Half track;
Wheeled vehicles: Willy's jeeps and Stoodbaker trucks;
Planes : P-47D Thunderbolts;
Howitzers: 60 and 81 mm mortars, M1 155mm Howitzers.

Infantry weapons:

M1911 pistols, M1903 Springfield Rifles, M1 Garand Rifles, M1 Carabines, Thompson submachineguns, M1919 Browning Machineguns, M2 Browning Machineguns, Bazooka Anti-tank systems and the Mk.2 Granades ("Pineapple" granades).