Brazilian Expeditionary Force in World War II by Cesar Campiani Maximiano

Author:Cesar Campiani Maximiano
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Brazilian Expeditionary Force in World War II
ISBN: 9781780962856
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Published: 2011-11-17T16:00:00+00:00

This M8, photographed in June 1945 with its armored skirts removed, bears the white number “19” between the front hatches, and the name “Leão do Norte” (Lion of the North) on the hull side. On the glacis plate is the ringed Southern Cross stencil, above (left) “FEB” and (partly hidden, right) “510” – the Recon Troop’s unit code. Other unit codes included 100 (Div HQ), 210C (MP Plat), 310 (1st Inf Regt), 320 (6th Inf Regt), 330 (11th Inf Regt), 610 (9th Engr Bn), and 710 (1st Medic Bn). The officer posing for this snapshot is Lt Solon; he enjoys the peaceful sunshine in clean, pressed off-duty clothing, complete with the stylish black “Natal” boots that became an issue item for FEB officers. (O. Parcianello)

Captain Pitaluga was nearly killed while turning a corner, standing in the turret of his M8; Lt Gerson Machado Pires of the 6th Infantry saw the whole thing. Pitaluga was directing his driver by pressing his feet on the trooper’s shoulders: a tap on the left or right shoulder meant “Turn left/ right,” and a stamp on both shoulders meant “Stop, quickly.” That was what the driver felt as the Greyhound was about to turn out of the main square in Collecchio. Captain Pitaluga: “It was an 88... I had an intuition. I had seen that cannon fire, it had fired two shots. As soon as I stopped I saw [another] flash. The driver even asked, ‘Was it you who fired, sir?’ – I said, ‘No, they did.’ The shot knocked through a wall right in front of us. If we had gone another two meters….”

Elsewhere in Collecchio, Lt Jairo Junqueira da Silva, from the 11th Infantry, was placing his 81mm mortars near a church, where German prisoners were being held temporarily. He climbed the church tower in order to regulate the fire of his crews (when he visited the town in 2003, locals showed him the marks of bullets that had been fired at his OP). On this occasion Junqueira witnessed a demonstration of one of the better qualities of Gen Zenóbio, who commanded the infantry of the FEB. In the opinion of many veterans, Zenóbio was no military genius – he lacked refined tactical skills, and had many of the character traits of a martinet. However, his physical courage was undeniable. “That Zenóbio was crazy,” says Junqueira. “We were close to the church door, and suddenly Zenóbio appeared, from heaven knows where. It was rather crowded, and I had the mortars in position in front of the church. Suddenly, here comes a German patrol in front of the garden, under cover of the vegetation. They were only a short distance away, and the guys started shooting. The first thing you have to do is hit the dust, but Zenóbio stood there as if he was a squad leader, and began issuing orders – ‘Riflemen, here! Sergeant, go there!’… Like everyone else, I was lying down, with that machine gun firing close. But he didn’t move, didn’t lie down, did nothing of the sort.

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