Page 414 - 1992 - XVIII Congresso Internazionale di Storia Militare

380 WlZ PAULO MAClll)() CA.RVAI.HO
ror - an d lost onJy three of rh e c:scorccd cargo boars, that is, 0.09% of rhe prorec-
ted boats and 0,08% of rhe tons convoyed. Thirceen ships of our merchanr flect
wirh their crews and three oil-cankers withour rhcir crews were leased ro che Unired
Scates ar that time, by the symbolic price of one doUar per monrh for unit, at rhe
same cime we promised ro use another 23 boars in the navigarion berween Brazil
and che orth A.merican harbors.
Along the Brazilian coasr IO Gcrman and l ltalian submarines were desrroyed,
bcsidc:s anorhc:r German one, sank by ics own crew- che U-604, fuding submari-
ne. Brazihan naval forccs made 66 comacrs followcd by arcacks againsr thc cne·
my's submarines fìgures confìrmcd by thc Germans.
Besides rhesc missions, che 1 avy rook charge of the prorection of che subma·
rine cable rhar guaranteed safe communications with che United Scares and Euro·
pe, che destrucrion of submarine mincs, the rcsque of survivors from shipwrecks,
and a Iso gave exclusivc: help to rhc American airplanes berween Dakar and Nata l.
In face of Hitlc:r's threars ngainst the main Brazilian harbors and strnregic
islnnds. Brazilian bartleships, inadequare for rhe anti-submarine war, were posred
in Snlvador nnd Rccifc:, rcspccrivcly. ro srrcngrhcn che land ddensc of rhcse Impor·
rane nnchorages, whilc a derachmcnc of marincs occupied Trinirnd lsland.
Thc Brazilian Nnvy losr, during World Wnr TI, three warships: che transport
"Vita! de Oliveira", the corve ne "Camaquà'" and the cruiser "Bahia"', huving 486
casualrics. Thc artacks of the "Axis" submarines sank 35 Bruilian mcrcham ves-
sels, in a rora l of 150 209 con, what corresponded ro more than o ne third of our
mercham flcet, nnd rhe loss of 972 li\•es.
These dnra express che huge cfforr made by the Brnzilian Naval forces with
thc: ~canry means availablc co succes.sfully accomplish che multiple and numcrous
missions that dcmanded a consram permanencc ar sea even after the end of che war.

Consequences of thc War
Taking a fìnal balancc of the rribures paid ro Mars in World War Il, Brazil
received some credirs and some dcbirs, that sometimes raises doubrs, whed1er we
were reaUy winners in that conflicr.
\VIe counted geo-polirically and had world-wide srraregic imponance. lt dc-
monsmned che signifìcance of che occanic island and of rhe oursrancling Brazllian
Northcoasr - called rhe "Vicrory Spring Board" - in che nnri·subm:•rine war
and co che campaign in Africa and, lacer on, rhc invasion of lraly.
In che politica l ficld, mosr of rhe Brazilian people as.similared che democradc
ideals, in spire of nll che internai criscs thar we ha ve been passing through. The
sncrifìces requircd during the fighe againsr che Nazi-FasciSl roudirarian regimes,
cnded up by over rhrowing che Vnrgas diccarorship.
The i m pace or che war on our fragile economy is concradictory. Befoce the
war our foreign commerce was mainly wir.h seven European councries among che