Brazil Sends the Only Latin American Ground Troops to Europe
The Smoking Snakes fight up the Italian peninsula alongside the Allies
Quick facts
- Force
- Brazilian Expeditionary Force (about 25,900 men)
- Theater
- Italy, 1944-1945
- Nickname
- The Smoking Snakes
- Distinction
- Only South American nation to send ground troops to Europe
What happened
Vargas, courted by both the Axis and the Allies, joined the Allied side and sent the Brazilian Expeditionary Force, the Forca Expedicionaria Brasileira, to fight in Italy. History.com records that Brazil was the only South American nation and one of just two Latin American countries to take up arms, deploying a 25,000-man force nicknamed the Smoking Snakes. The Brazilian government's own account puts the force at 25,900 men and credits it with a legendary victory at the Battle of Monte Castello in early 1945. The BEF landed at Naples in mid-1944, first saw hostile fire in September 1944, and fought through the war's end in May 1945.
Why it matters
Brazil was the only South American country to put ground troops into the European theater, and the army's prestige from the Italian campaign reshaped domestic politics: the popular status the army won by participating in the campaign, the Library of Congress country study notes, is part of what let the High Command move against Vargas himself in 1945. The contradiction of a dictatorship sending soldiers to fight fascism abroad helped undo the Estado Novo at home.
How we know
Brazil's status as the only South American combatant and the force's nickname and size are documented verbatim in history.com, used here as a narrative anchor, and corroborated by the Brazilian government's own news service on the Battle of Monte Castello.
Sources
- HISTORY (A&E Networks). What Role Did Brazil Play in World War II? · Reputable sourcehistory.com · The domain "history.com" is on our Reputable source registry. · Link is live and its text matches the event's key terms (Jul 2026)
- Government of Brazil (gov.br). The Brazilian Expeditionary Force in the Battle of Monte Castello · Unclassified sourcegov.br · Cited as a "website" source (no stronger domain match).
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