When the Second World War broke out in 1939, President Getúlio Vargas declared Brazil neutral. This stance wasn't born out of moral indifference, but out of pragmatic calculus. Vargas maintained a delicate balancing act between the Axis powers and the Allies, trading coffee and raw materials with whoever could pay and deliver. Yet, that uneasy neutrality shattered under the weight of German submarine warfare in the South Atlantic. By 1942, German U-boats sank dozens of Brazilian merchant vessels, costing hundreds of civilian lives and sparking massive public outrage across Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo. Brazil did not just drift into the conflict; it was pushed by torpedoes and pulled by geopolitical ambition.
Choosing to fight wasn't merely a defensive reaction. Vargas and his foreign minister, Oswaldo Aranha, saw an opportunity to secure Brazil's status as a dominant regional power. By offering a "sacrifice of blood" on European battlefields, the government intended to modernize its outdated military with American aid and earn a permanent seat at the post-war peace table. This decision gave birth to the Brazilian Expeditionary Force (Força Expedicionária Brasileira, or FEB), the only independent South American ground force to deploy across the Atlantic and engage Axis troops on the European continent.
From Neutrality to Mobilization: The Road to War
Brazil's pivot from neutrality to belligerence happened in stages. Early in the war, the United States recognized the vital strategic importance of Brazil’s northeastern "salient"—the closest point of land on the South American continent to West Africa. Airbases built in Natal and Recife became the crucial "Springboard for Victory," funneling thousands of American aircraft and supplies across the Atlantic to support operations in North Africa and Europe. In exchange for these concessions, Washington agreed under Lend-Lease programs to supply modern armaments, training, and logistical support to the Brazilian armed forces.
Despite these close ties, internal divisions ran deep. Key military figures, such as War Minister Eurico Gaspar Dutra, warned that the Brazilian army lacked the training, heavy equipment, and institutional capacity to fight a modern war overseas. Troops were scattered across a massive nation, armed with a mismatched inventory of French, Czech, German, and domestic weapons. Transforming this fragmented force into a cohesive combat division required an immense national mobilization effort. When the FEB officially formed in August 1943, its soldiers—affectionately and colloquially known as pracinhas—faced a steep learning curve, relying entirely on American equipment, uniforms, and tactical doctrines.
Landing on the Italian Front
In July 1944, the first echelon of the FEB sailed from Rio de Janeiro aboard the American transport ship General Mann, heading across a U-boat-infested ocean toward Naples. Originally promised a full army corps, Brazil ultimately deployed a reinforced infantry division totaling roughly 25,000 men over the course of the campaign, including support personnel and the daring 1st Liaison Fighter Squadron (the Senta a Púa! pilots who flew P-47 Thunderbolts). Integrated into the United States IV Corps under the U.S. Fifth Army commanded by General Mark Clark, the Brazilians entered a brutal theater of war.
The Italian campaign was grinding and unforgiving. By the time the pracinhas arrived, Allied forces had captured Rome but stalled against the formidable Gothic Line—a jagged barrier of German fortifications carved into the Northern Apennines. The terrain featured steep ridges, treacherous mountain passes, persistent mud, and freezing rain. Compounding these natural hazards, the Brazilian troops initially faced cultural and linguistic barriers, as few American commanders spoke Portuguese, and the pracinhas had to adapt rapidly to U.S. radio codes, artillery procedures, and rations.
Early engagements tested the resolve of the division. During late October 1944, a German counterattack near Barga caught exposed Brazilian units off guard, resulting in temporary tactical setbacks and valuable, hard-earned combat lessons. Rather than breaking morale, these early trials forged a fierce resilience among the troops. They learned to master mountain warfare, coordinating infantry maneuvers with precise artillery barrages directed by experienced observers.
The Triumph at Monte Castello and the Final Offensive
The defining moment of the FEB's campaign was the bloody battle for Monte Castello. Perched atop a heavily fortified ridge, the position allowed German artillery to dominate the Serchio and Reno valleys, blocking any Allied advance toward Bologna. Several prior Allied attempts to take the stronghold had failed miserably against entrenched enemy machine-gun nests and minefields.
Between November 1944 and February 1945, the Brazilians mounted a series of coordinated assaults alongside American units. The final push on February 21, 1945, utilized a sophisticated infantry-artillery team strategy that overwhelmed the defenders. Emblazoned on their artillery shells were the words "A cobra vai fumar" ("The snake is smoking")—a direct retort to skeptics back home who had claimed it was more likely for a snake to smoke a pipe than for Brazil to fight in Europe. The capture of Monte Castello broke the stalemate in the sector, earning the profound respect of Allied commanders like General Willis D. Crittenberger.
Following this breakthrough, the FEB participated in the final Allied spring offensive of April 1945. Sweeping through the Po Valley, the Brazilian division cut off escape routes, captured thousands of Axis prisoners, and forced the unconditional surrender of the elite German 148th Infantry Division—the first entire German division to lay down its arms on the Italian front. By May 2, 1945, as hostilities in Italy formally ceased, Brazilian patrols reached the French border at Susa, completing every operational mission assigned to them.
The Complex Legacy of the Pracinhas
The FEB suffered nearly 450 combat deaths during its time in Italy, alongside thousands of wounded and non-battle casualties who succumbed to trench foot, frostbite, and mountain sickness. Yet, the impact of their service transcended tactical statistics. When the surviving pracinhas returned home in late 1945, they returned to a political landscape shifting beneath Vargas's authoritarian regime.
Ironies abounded. Soldiers from a semi-fascist corporatist state had crossed an ocean to crush fascism in Europe. Upon returning, many used the democratic prestige they earned on the battlefield to question dictatorship at home, contributing directly to the fall of Vargas later that year. To learn more about how national armed forces coordinate international deployments, you can review guidelines from the U.S. Army Center of Military History. For broader context on global coalition warfare, consult records maintained by the Imperial War Museums.
Though history sometimes overlooks Latin America's direct military contributions to the Second World War, the sacrifice of the Brazilian Expeditionary Force redefined the nation's military capability and national identity. The pracinhas proved that determination and adaptability could overcome profound institutional disadvantages, leaving an enduring legacy on the bloodsoaked ridges of Italy.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why was the Brazilian Expeditionary Force called the "Smoking Snakes"?
Before Brazil entered the war, domestic critics and skeptics argued that getting involved was as unlikely as "a snake smoking a pipe." When the FEB finally deployed to Europe, soldiers adopted the imagery with pride, painting a smoking snake on their shoulder patches, vehicles, and artillery shells to mock their early doubters.
How many Brazilian soldiers fought in Italy?
A total of roughly 25,000 men served in the FEB across several rotating echelons between 1944 and 1945. This total included infantry regiments, artillery units, medical staff, and the distinct fighter pilots of the air liaison squadron.
Were Brazilian troops under American command?
Yes. Upon arriving in Italy, the FEB was integrated as a distinct infantry division into the IV Corps of the United States Fifth Army. While they retained their own Brazilian commanders and officers, operational strategy and logistics were coordinated closely with U.S. command structures.
What happened to the FEB after World War II ended?
Despite American proposals for the FEB to participate in the post-war occupation of Europe, the Brazilian government quickly ordered the unit's demobilization and return home in late 1945. Authorities grew politically anxious that the returning soldiers—emboldened by fighting for democracy abroad—might leverage their popularity to destabilize domestic political arrangements.
