1945 Alberto Lima Pictorial WWII Route Map of the Brazilian Expeditionary Force in Italy

The only combat unit sent to WWII Europe by an independent South American nation.

A rare find, this is a 1945 Alberto Lima pictorial World War II route map of the Força Expedicionária Brasileira (FEB, or Brazilian Expeditionary Force) in Italy. The map highlights the movements, battles, and victories of the only combat unit sent to WWII Europe by an independent South American nation.

A Closer Look

Coverage embraces Italy from Susa south to Naples and as far east as Bologna (Bolonha). Rome, Florence (Florença), Pisa (complete with the Leaning Tower), Turin (Turim), Parma, Rome, and Naples are all labeled. Red arrows highlight the Division's movements throughout Italy, beginning in Naples and passing through Rome, Livorno, and Pisa. Dates are provided, and Brazilian flags mark battles, the first of which took place just north of Pisa at Camaiore on September 18, 1944. The Division's snake insignia appears throughout, along with the insignia of the American divisions the FEB was attached to, including the 92nd Division, the 10th Mountain Division, and the 34th Division.

Brazil Enters the War

At the outbreak of World War II (1939 - 1945), Brazil sat in ninth place on the list of Germany's trading partners and was the biggest consumer of German goods outside Europe. Even after the outbreak of war, Brazil tried to maintain neutrality and traded with both Allied and Axis powers. However, as the war progressed, the British and Americans began exerting pressure on countries that maintained diplomatic and economic ties with Germany.

After the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, and the United States' entry into World War II the following day, the U.S. began exerting even more pressure on its Latin American and South American neighbors. It organized the Pan American States Conference in Rio de Janeiro in January 1942 to offer economic assistance to Latin and South American countries in exchange for severing ties with the Axis and cooperating with American security operations.

After the conference, Brazil allowed the U.S. to set up air bases in the northern Brazilian states of Bahia, Pernambuco, and Rio Grande do Norte in exchange for help in developing its domestic steel industry. Hitler viewed this infringement on Brazil's stated neutrality as an act of war, which prompted German attacks on Brazilian shipping beginning in January 1942. By August, the Brazilian public was calling for Brazil to enter the war against Germany to avenge the merchant vessels sunk by German and Italian U-boats. Brazil declared war on Germany on August 22, 1942, officially entering World War II.

The Brazilian Expeditionary Force in World War II

The Força Expedicionária Brasileira (FEB or Brazilian Expeditionary Force) participated in the WWII Italian Campaign. The FEB was organized by the Brazilian government and had the strength of one Army Division (25,000). The first Brazilians arrived in Naples, Italy, on July 2, 1944. (For some context, this was three days before Rome was liberated on June 5 and four days before the D-Day landings in Normandy, France, on June 6.) The first 5,000 Brazilian soldiers arrived without the proper equipment (including weapons), and a barracks had not been arranged, which meant they remained on the docks until they could join U.S. Task Force 45. More Brazilians arrived in late July, and three more transports arrived in September and November 1944, and in February 1945, respectively. The FEB was under American command throughout the war and was transferred between several different units. The Brazilians spent July and much of August training for combat, and their first operations were reconnaissance missions in late August. Beginning in September, the Brazilians were in almost continuous combat until the war in Italy ended on May 2, 1945. After the surrender, the FEB served as an occupation force in Piancenza, Lodi, and Alessandria. The FEB returned to Brazil by the end of 1945 and was dissolved soon afterward.

Publication History and Census

This map was drawn by Alberto Lima and published by the Gabinete Fotocartografico do Ministerio da Guerra in 1945. It is the 2nd Edition (2a Ediçāo). There are no cataloged examples of any edition in OCLC. We have seen only one other digitized example of the 2nd Edition, and it was in private hands.

Condition

Very good. Light wear along original fold lines.