World War 2 Photos - Brazilian Forces Brazilian Expeditionary Force - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia A lot of people tend to forget that Brazil fought in WW2 on the Italian front.
I just finished with the Osprey book on the Brazilian Expeditionary Force. It's good, and the illustrations are great.
I'm not sure I can take Brazillian participation all that seriously. It was a Johnny Come Lately effort from a country then as now devoted more to street parades in skimpy costumes than with any reputation as a martial nation. Still, the more the merrier. I'm sure a Brazillian gunboat was standing by in the Graf Spee Affaire, that they were perfectly willing and able etc etc. I prefer to see Brazillians as a great Soccer playing nation. That is something they do better than anyone....except when the spanish are playing that is, or the Dutch. And wasn't that hard luck for the Dutch? Defeating Brazil only to go down to Spain? Heartbreaking
I didn't say Brazil was so great in the fighting. I just said the book was good. It gave me info on them. As for the World Cup final, the Dutch played such negative football that I was happy Spain kicked their asses.
There will be an interesting chapter in an upcoming book that I have contributed to on the Brazillian Expeditionary Force. It is by the same guy who wrote the Osprey book. The book is based on a conference at King's College London and the IWM in 2008. His paper was very interesting. Ross
Brazil was neutral at the time the Graf Spee was scuttled in Montevideo. It really didn't matter because Montevideo is in Uruguay.
Brazil also scored one of history's most remarkable "own goals". In 1945 the old cruiser Bahia (commissioned 1910) was conducting AA gunnery practice, firing 20mms at a kite towed from the stern. One of the gunners hit the ship's own depth charges, blowing off the stern and sinking the ship within a few minutes. Sadly it was several day before the survivors were located, and most of them perished in the interim. Ships often have rails or pipe around free-swinging guns to prevent this sort of thing, but apparently Bahia did not.
mr volga boatman has to realize brazil captured over 20,000 prisoners and lost over 900 men in combat, so they certainly roughed it buddy, history does not lie! the records are there!it was ajoint effort mate,the deserve recognition sport and music have nothing to do with it!have a look on youtube, youll learn something,that it wasnt just english speaking people that can pull a trigger!
Nowadays Brazil has a quite professional army. When it comes to jungle warfare they are the ones setting the norms and writing the books. Instructors from all over the world learnb their trade in Brazil.
