Still waiting for folks to input steps for Monday, so this will be a two-part installment.
Given the D-Day, some Brazil facts from World War II. Not many know that Brazil declared war against Germany with the Allies during World War II, mainly as a result of the number of Brazilian-owned or bound merchant ships that were sunk by German submarines in the Atlantic.
The country also volunteered a large contingent of its army, designated the Brazilian Expeditionary Force, which was deployed to fight with the Allies in the mountains up the "boot" of Italy in 1944. The allied planners somewhat overlooked the fact that they were sending troops used to the equatorial weather conditions into an environment where they were greeted with the 1944-45 Italian winter and cold.
As it relates to the Pacific theater, another interesting tidbit - Brazil is home to the most citizens of Japanese ancestry in any country that is not Japan. After World War II, more than a score of Japanese soldiers, for whom surrender was considered an unforgivable disgrace, chose to resettle in Brazil in the Japanese populated area of the country (Sao Paulo area) rather than return home after Japan surrendered.
Similarly, in the same part of the country, a fair number of former southern Confederates chose to leave after the civil war and settle in Brazil ("Confederados"). Though many ultimately returned to the US, descendants and their legacy also remain in the city of Sao Paulo.
More to come later as steps are input.
Given the D-Day, some Brazil facts from World War II. Not many know that Brazil declared war against Germany with the Allies during World War II, mainly as a result of the number of Brazilian-owned or bound merchant ships that were sunk by German submarines in the Atlantic.
The country also volunteered a large contingent of its army, designated the Brazilian Expeditionary Force, which was deployed to fight with the Allies in the mountains up the "boot" of Italy in 1944. The allied planners somewhat overlooked the fact that they were sending troops used to the equatorial weather conditions into an environment where they were greeted with the 1944-45 Italian winter and cold.
As it relates to the Pacific theater, another interesting tidbit - Brazil is home to the most citizens of Japanese ancestry in any country that is not Japan. After World War II, more than a score of Japanese soldiers, for whom surrender was considered an unforgivable disgrace, chose to resettle in Brazil in the Japanese populated area of the country (Sao Paulo area) rather than return home after Japan surrendered.
Similarly, in the same part of the country, a fair number of former southern Confederates chose to leave after the civil war and settle in Brazil ("Confederados"). Though many ultimately returned to the US, descendants and their legacy also remain in the city of Sao Paulo.
More to come later as steps are input.
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