Soldiers of the division had adopted an arm patch depicting a green snake smoking a pipe, a pun at a pre-war joke that went by saying it was more likely to see a snake smoking than a Brazilian fighting in Europe. However, according to many Brazilian veterans, the slang "the snake is going to smoke" was created among the troops meaning that a fight was about to happen.

The 1st Brazilian Infantry Division, which was the core of the Brazilian Expeditionary Force that fought alongside US and other allied troops in northern Italy during World War II, used command flags that differed from the other divisions of the Brazilian Army, in that the stars of the Southern Cross (Cruzeiro do Sul).

The soldiers buried in the FEB cemetery in Pistoia were later removed to a mausoleum built in Rio de Janeiro. The mausoleum was Idealised by Mascarenhas de Moraes (then a Marshal). It was inaugurated on July 24th, 1960 and covers an area of 6,850 square meters.

"Hit 'Em Hard !"

FAB - The Brazilian Air Force

The Brazilian Air Force (''Força Aérea Brasileira'' or FAB) had its first fighter group trained by the Americans in Panama. Their role was very important to the actions of all Allied forces in Italy and the Brazilian pilots were also highly praised for their important air-to-ground operations. To give a bit of the flavour of the Italian Campaign, a suitable scenario would be a Brazilian advance to clear out Axis troops in a hilltop village or road junction, using the hold the line scenario with the focus on their infantry resources and perhaps some help from 357 Squadron, for those who can’t resist P-47D Thunderbolts in Brazilian markings. (more...)