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The Brazilian Expeditionary Force or BEF ((ポルトガル語:Força Expedicionária Brasileira); FEB) consisted of about 25,700 men and women arranged by the army and air force to fight alongside the Allied forces in the Mediterranean Theatre of World War II. Brazil was the only independent South American country to send ground troops to fight in WWII.〔Frank D. MacCann – 'Estudios Interdisciplinarios de America Latina y el Caribe', vol. 6, No. 2, 1995.〕 This air-land force fought in Italy from September 1944 to May 1945, while the Brazilian Navy as well as the Air Force also acted in the Atlantic Ocean from the middle of 1942 until the end of the war. During the eight months of the Italian campaign, the BEF managed to take 20,573 Axis prisoners, consisting of two generals, 892 officers, and 19,679 other ranks. Brazil lost 948 of its own men killed in action across all three services during the Italian campaign. ==Overview== Brazil's participation alongside the Allied powers in World War II was by no means a foregone conclusion, even though Brazil (along with Italy, Japan and Romania) had supported the Triple Entente in World War I. Then Brazilian participation (1917–1918) was primarily naval, although it did send a "military mission" to the Western Front. The Brazilian Navy and Air Force played a role in the Battle of the Atlantic after mid-1942. Brazil also contributed an infantry division that entered combat on the Italian Front in 1944. As in 1914, Brazil in 1939 maintained a position of neutrality, initially trading with both the Allies and the Axis powers. As the war progressed, trade with the Axis countries became almost impossible and the US began forceful diplomatic and economic efforts to bring Brazil onto the Allied side. These efforts led to the creation of the Joint Brazil-US Defense Commission, which was chaired by James Garesche Ord and worked to strengthen military ties between the two countries during the war. It was designed to reduce the likelihood of Axis attacks on US shipping as soldiers traveled across the Atlantic to Africa and Europe, and minimized the influence of the Axis in South America.〔Stetson Conn, Byron Fairchild, Office of the Chief of Military History, Department of the Army, (The Framework of Hemisphere Defense ), 1960, page 319〕 At the beginning of 1942, Brazil permitted the US to set up air bases on their territory in return for the offer by the US to encourage the formation of an iron industry - Companhia Siderúrgica Nacional, in Brazil. The US bases were located in the states of Bahia, Pernambuco and Rio Grande do Norte, where the city of Natal hosted part of the US Navy's VP-52. In addition, US Task Force 3 established itself in Brazil. This included a squadron equipped to attack submarines and merchant vessels attempting to trade with Japan. Although Brazil remained neutral, this increasing cooperation with the Allies led the Brazilian government to announce at the Pan American States Conference in Rio, on 28 January 1942, its decision to sever diplomatic relations with Germany, Japan, and Italy. As a result, from the end of January to July 1942, German U-boats sank 13 Brazilian merchant vessels. In August 1942, ''U-507'' alone sank five Brazilian vessels in two days, causing more than 600 deaths:〔(VEJA Edição Especial – O Brasil na Guerra )〕 : * On August 15, the ''Baependy,'' traveling from Salvador to Recife, was torpedoed at 19:12. Its 215 passengers and 55 crew members were lost. : * At 21:03, ''U-507'' torpedoed the ''Araraquara'', also traveling from Salvador towards the north of the country. Of the 142 people on board, 131 died. : * Seven hours after the second attack, ''U-507'' attacked the ''Aníbal Benévolo''. All 83 passengers died; of a crew of 71, four survived. : *On August 17, close to the city of Vitória, the ''Itagiba'' was hit at 10:45, with a death toll of 36. : *Another Brazilian ship, the ''Arará'', traveling from Salvador to Santos, stopped to help the crippled ''Itagiba'', but ended up as the fifth Brazilian victim of the German submarine, with a death toll of 20. In all, 21 German and 2 Italian submarines caused the sinking of 36 Brazilian merchant ships involving 1,691 drownings and 1,079 other casualties. The sinkings were the main reason that led the Brazilian government to declare war against the Axis. Berlin Radio pronouncements led to increasing nervousness among the Brazilian population, so unlike 1917, in 1942 it seemed that the Brazilian government did not want war. In some cities like Rio de Janeiro, the people started to protest against such a situation which included some harassment of German communities.〔Hélio Silva, "1942 Guerra no Continente"〕 The passive position of the Vargas government proved untenable in the face of public opinion. Ultimately, the government found itself with no alternative but to declare war on Germany and Italy on August 22, 1942. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Brazilian Expeditionary Force」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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