THE StrengthExpeditionaryBrazilian, also known by the acronym FEB, was the military delegation sent by Brazil to Europe to integrate the troops of the allied countries (United States, England, Soviet Union, French Resistance, etc.) against the PowersofAxle (Germany, Italy and Japan) during the Second World War. FEB was conceived on August 9, 1943 by the Ministerial Ordinance No. 4744, after Brazil declared war on the “Axis” in August of the previous year.
O FEB symbol, which can be seen on the cover image of this article, is that of a snake smoking a pipe. This symbol was a response to those who said that Brazil would not have the capacity to go to war. This would only happen, they said in a disdainful tone, if the “snake smoked”.
Brazil in the context of World War II
The trigger for Brazil's entry into the war and for the creation of the Brazilian Expeditionary Force was a specific event, which took place between August 5 and 17, 1942: some sNazi submarines torpedoed six Brazilian merchant ships
, which traveled along the northeastern coast, which caused the death of hundreds of people. This event caused great popular commotion, which contributed to Getúlio Vargas (then president) declaring war on Germany and its allies.It is noteworthy that the Nazis, who were for a time allies of the stateNew from Getúlio Vargas, began to attack Brazilian ships after the closer approximation between the Estado Novo and the United States – which entered the war in 1941 against the Axis. The fact is that, authorized by Ministerial Decree No. 4744, the Brazilian generals, in coordination with the Americans, created the FEB on November 13, 1943; and the main training our Army officers received before going into combat was at the General Staff Command School ofFortLeavenworth, in the state of Kansas, in the US Midwest.
Performance of FEB in Italy
The FEB commander was the general Mascarenhasof Morals, from the 2nd Military Region, based in São Paulo. He was assigned to command directly by the Minister of War, Eurico Gaspar Dutra. Brazilian troops operated in the mountainous regions of Italy between late 1944 and early 1945. The main battle fought was that of mountCastle (More information can be obtained on here).
Among the historical characters who went to war for the FEB, was Humberto de Alencar Castelo Branco, then lieutenant colonel, who was head of section 6 who fought in Italy. Castelo Branco, as is known, years later would become a general and the first president of the period of the regimenMilitary of Brazil.
By Me. Cláudio Fernandes
Source: Brazil School - https://brasilescola.uol.com.br/historiag/forca-expedicionaria-brasileira-feb.htm
