Page 413 - 1992 - XVIII Congresso Internazionale di Storia Militare

l"H! BIIAZJLIAN MlLlTARY PR!SENCE IN WORLD WAR Il 379
Tbe performance of the Brazilian Air Force was nor limired ro me Mcdirc:rra-
nean Thearer. Remarkable was its action over the Sourb Atlanric, escorcing naval
convoys, parroUing tbc coastline, attacking and sioking enemy submarines.

The BraziJian Navy in rhe South Aùantic battle
World War Il caught rhe Brazilian Navy wim almosr the same srrunure it
had in 1918, when ir opcrared along che wesr coasc of Mrica, from Sierra Leone
co che North, supporring rbe Ames. We did not even have a seaborne aviation.
Limited by the lack of equipmenr to meet the needs, prioricy was givcn tO
prcdominantly defensive operations in the Easr and Northeast coasùine comple-
menred by actions execuced by me Army and rhe Air Force.
The participation of the Brazilian Navy in me conflict staned wirh che crea-
tion of the Cruiser Division, reinforced by mine layers, whose mission was to carry
out che " Neutralicy Parrol" against rh e "Axis" submarines.
The fact that wc wcnr to rhe war, made the Unired States strenghten the defcn-
se of the Brazllian coastline with the 4th Flce1 under the command of Rcar Admi-
ral Jonns H. lngr:un. In order to guarnntee success in this area of srrategical
rcsponsibility, udjacent to rhe coast of Brazil, i t became nccessary co have a unitcd
commnnd for the air and navnl unirs employed by borh coumries. This way, the
Unired Sraces and Brazil agrced co organize the Command of che Souch Atlantic
Force and che operational conrrol of Brazilian and American fo rces was given to
Admiral lngram. Conscquencly, the Cruiser Division was disbanded and tbc Nor·
theast Naval Force was crcated, under the command ofVice Admical Alfredo Cu-
los Soares Outra. 1t tacer became the 46<h Task Force of me South Adantic
Comma n d with the addition of warships. The 46th TF was aCiually acri v unril the
end of the war. Arche pcnk of operations, che Soutb Aclanlic Command had 141
American naval units and 37 Brazilian unics. The Command's Headquarrcrs was
io Recifc and we ceded bascs ro che American forces in Bel.ém, Fortaleza, Nacal
a od Salvador.
Most of tbc accivicies performed by che Bruilian Navy wcrc the parrolling
of our cerrirorial seas and procection of che convoys chat carne from or wenc co
Trinidad, in the Amilles. The imporrant aspecr of the maricime campaign in the
South Ada mie was che oceani c parrolling, in order co break the blockade of the
transporration of essential supplies co che "Axis" powers, madc by German and
ltalian subm~rines betwec:n France and Japan, che Cllpc of Good Hope.
Besides the escon of regolar convoys, rhe navy accomplished about 248 spe-
cial ones co supply the P ernando de Noronha lsland and ro cransporc rroops, arms
or for ocher purposes.
Thc Brazilian Navy esconcd 575 coovoys, a roral of 3164 ships from 16 na-
rions with the capaciry to rranspon 16486062 ron of gross weighr, sailing ovcr
600000 sea miles - it is equivaknt lO 28 times around me earth along che Equa-