It would be more correct to say that Brazil achieved great victories in small battles of the Second World War (1939-1945). The Brazilian Expeditionary Force (FEB), which had 25,000 soldiers, entered combat in Europe in the second half of 1944. On the side of the Allies (England, France, the Soviet Union and the United States), the FEB faced the forces of the Axis (Germany, Italy and Japan) in Italian territory, on the so-called Mediterranean front. “We had two important victories in small battles: Monte Castelo, in February 1945, and Montese, in April 1945”, says historian Vágner Camilo Alves, from the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro (PUC-RJ).
If anyone doubts that these battles were secondary in the general context of World War II, it is enough to analyze the Brazilian troops in action. The FEB participated in the conflict with only one infantry division, while on the Mediterranean front alone the Allies had a total of 23 divisions. Here in Brazil, boastful propaganda, especially during the military dictatorship (1964-1985), created the impression that the conquest of Monte Castelo – a mountain in the Apennine mountain range in northern Italy – was a fundamental battle in World War II.
Despite these reservations about the real dimension of our victories, the performance of Brazilian soldiers was heroic. Even poorly trained, with inadequate equipment and facing a cold of up to minus 15ºC, they managed to defeat the German forces that were entrenched at the top of Monte Castelo. The Brazilian action was part of a larger offensive by the entire IV Corps of the US Army – of which the FEB was one of the divisions. The result of these joint operations was the expulsion of the Germans from the Apennine Mountains, allowing an Allied offensive in northern Italy that would mark the end of the confrontations in the country.
THE BATTLE OF MONTE CASTELO
Brazilian troops even faced “friendly fire” to conquer Monte Castelo
– (Kako/Weird World)
1) The Axis forces in Italy had a line of defense called the Gustav. When it was broken by the Allies in 1944, the Germans withdrew to the north, high up in the Apennine range. There, they set up a new defensive line, the Gothic, which included Monte Castelo.
(Kako/Weird World)
two) The FEB had already tried to take Monte Castelo three times at the end of 1944, accumulating around 400 dead and wounded. On the night of February 20, 1945, Brazilian artillery bombed the Germans positioned on the mountain, starting the fourth attempt. Five or six fighter-bombers, possibly from the “Senta Pua” squadron, strafed the Germans.
Curiosity: the symbol of the FEB, a snake smoking a cigar, came from a collective skepticism regarding sending Brazilian troops to war. A lot of people around here thought “it would be easier for a snake to smoke a pipe” than the Allies needing our support. When the fact actually occurred, the FEB adopted the symbol and motto “the snake will smoke!”.
(Kako/Weird World)
3) On the morning of the 21st, three FEB infantry battalions were ordered to advance in an attempt to take the hill. The Germans responded with heavy fire and the Brazilian artillery retaliated, but lost sight and almost hit our own troops. Advancement is stopped.
(Kako/Weird World)
4) At noon, American General Mark Clark, commander of operations on the Italian Front, visited Brazilian General Mascarenhas de Moraes and received the order for the advance to continue. An elite American unit takes nearby ridges to help the Brazilians climb.
(Kako/Weird World)
5) Around 2 pm, scouts report the arrival of German reinforcements who came from nearby regions. Even so, the Brazilian troops continued to advance and attacked the penultimate point before reaching the summit of Monte Castelo.
(Kako/Weird World)
6) At 3:30 pm, the fighting subsided and a relative calm prevailed on the mountain. Brazilian soldiers take the opportunity to tend to the wounded and follow the evolution of a FEB teco-teco that slowly flies over the area on a reconnaissance mission.
(Kako/Weird World)
7) At 4:20 pm, the Brazilian artillery concentrated its fire on the mountain, and the summit was transformed into a large crater. Hidden by smoke, a FEB unit advances, even knowing that the American allies have not yet managed to conquer a strategic point.
8) Under a hail of Nazi mortars, Brazilian and German patrols engage in hand-to-hand combat, using submachine guns, pistols and rifles with bayonets. At 5:50 pm, the Brazilian lieutenant colonel Emílio Rodrigues Franklin announces on the radio: “Castelo is ours!”.