"Senta A Pua..." The Brazilian Air Force in Italy 1944-5 Author: Richard Baber Pic: Proud Brazilian pilots with one of their P-47D's

When in late 1943 the Brazilian government decided to send combat troops to Europe, The Brazilian Air Ministry felt even though it was unprepared that it too had to send a contingent to fight.

On 18th December 1943 the Brazilians formed the 1st Brazilian Fighter Group, 1st Grupo de Aviacao de Caca (1st GAVCA) under the command of Major Nero Moura. On January 3rd 1944 Major Moura and other key officers were sent to America for flight training (approx. 60hours in Curtis P-40 fighters). In February the balance of 1st GAVCA were sent to Agua Dulce air base in Panama for unit training (350 men including 43 pilots). Obviously some of the Brazilian pilots already had flying experience and during this period Lt. Alberto Torres was the pilot of Catalina PBY-5A which sunk U-199. By May the Squadron was operational and patrolled the Canal Zone. At the end of June 1944, the Brazilian Unit was moved to the USA - to Suffolk Air Base, on Long Island, New York. And there they stayed just over two months on a new training programme, this time with the most modern of the US Army Air Force fighters, the P-47 "Thunderbolt". Which they were to fly in Italy; each officer carried out 80 hours of flight training and the ground staff got used to the new equipment.

When the Fighter Unit finished its training with the P-47, it was then at the same level, with regard to training, as any similar unit of the US Army Air Force. On top of this at least one third of the Brazilian pilots were officers with more than 2,000 hours of flight time and all the officers of the unit had volunteered to fly and fight in Europe. On September 10th 1st GAVCA embarked upon the French ship "Colombie" and set sail across the Atlantic bound for the Mediterranean. The ship docked in Livorno on October 6th, from there the men travelled by train to Tarquinia and their first airfield in Italy where they received their P-47 Thunderbolts already painted in Brazilian colours. It was at Tarquinia that the 1st GAVCA joined the 350th Fighter Group, subordinated to 62nd Fighter Wing, XXII Tactical Air Command, 12th USAAF. Here too they carried out the first test and air recon. Flights of the region. Pic: 1st GAVCA group badge

The 350th Fighter Group USAAF formed on 1 October 1942 in Britain. Several of its first pilots had served previously with the Royal Air Force or the Royal Canadian Air Force. After the Allied landings in Northern Africa (Operation "Torch"), the 350th FG was transferred to that region and following the Allied invasion onto Italy. Until the arrival of the 1ºGAVCA, the 350th FG was made up of three squadrons: 345th Fighter Squadron ("Devil Hawk Squadron"), 346th FS ("Checker Board Squadron") and 347th FS ("Screaming Red Ass Squadron"). The call signs for each of the Groups component squadrons were 345th FS, "Lifetime"; 346th FS, "Minefield"; 347th FS, "Midwood"; and 1st BFS, "Jambock".

350th Fighter Group had specific mission parameters

a) Direct support of the land forces (Close Air Support);

b) Isolation of the battle-field, by systematically cutting the means of communication, railways and roads which connected the German front with the Valley of the River Po and with the rest of the territory occupied by the Germans (Interdiction);

c) Destruction of military and industrial plant in the North of Italy

The Brazilian pilots had been trained in the US for fighter operations -- but the Luftwaffe had by then nearly no aircraft in Italy! Thus the 1ºGAVCA started its fighting career as a fighter-bomber unit, its missions being armed reconnaissance and interdiction, in support of the US 5th Army, to which the Brazilian Expeditionary Force was attached. After a few weeks of shared missions under the control of other more experienced squadrons, on November 11th 1944 the group started its own operations.

Pic: 1st GAVCA P-47D

The Thunderbolt colour scheme

Initially the P-47s were finished in standard US fighter colours, olive-drab (top surfaces) and neutral grey (under surfaces) except those of the commander and operations officer which were finished in natural metal and olive-drab anti-glare panels). The badge of the Group was painted just after the engine cowling, and the aircraft code (flight letter-aircraft number) was in white letters over the cowling.

National insignia was in four positions, this being the US star-and-bar, with the white star replaced by the Brazilian star. Later, replacement aircraft were in natural metal, with olive-drab anti-glare panels, the codes being in black

The combat training and morale of 1st GAVCA can be summed up by this statement from 350th FG:

"Everybody in the 350th Fighter Group who helped the Brazilians new that they wanted to fight the enemy and fight skilfully. In a month they were operating like veterans. They had only a few rotation pilots compared with our squadrons, but, nevertheless, their courage and energy were too strong to be defeated."

Once in combat the squadron was split into four flights each of initially twelve pilots. These flights were titled: green, yellow, red and blue it was the practice of the pilots to wear a coloured scarf bearing their flight colours. By April 1945 however yellow flight was disbanded due to overall combat loses.

Results

The 1st GAVCA flew a total of 445 missions, 2,550 individual sorties and 5,465 combat flight hours, from 11 November 1944 to 4 May 1945. It destroyed 1,304 motor vehicles, 13 railway wagons, 8 armoured cars, 25 highway or railway bridges and 31 fuel or munitions depots.

Of the 48 pilots of the Brazilian Unit who sailed to Italy, there were a total of 22 losses. Five of the pilots were killed by anti-aircraft fire, eight had their planes shot down and baled out over enemy territory, six had to give up flying operations on medical orders after suffering nervous breakdowns, and three died in flying accidents.

The actions of the 1st GAVCA during the Italian Campaign were even more exhalted on 22 April 1986. On that day the Group received, from the Mr. Ambassador of the USA to Brazil, together with the Secretary for the USAF, the Presidential Unit Citation (Air Force), given by the US Government. It is with pride that we acknowledge that, apart other few USAF units, only the 1st GAVCA and two Royal Australian Air Force units - Nos. 2 and 13 Squadrons - have received this citation: "Their deeds will remain alive while men fly. Their victories in the battlefields will be in our hearts while courage and heroism are treasured by men." (E. Aldridge Jr., Secretary for the USAF, at the bestowing ceremony of thePresidential Unit Citation to the 1st GAVCA)

The Brazilians also sent an infantry division to fight in Italy. This unit had an organic artillery regiment which was supported by an air observation flight (using L4 “Grasshopper” aircraft) these planes were also flown by Brazilian Airforce personel.

The original version of this article first appeared in issue 49 of the SOTCW (Society of Twentieth Century Wargamers) publication – The Journal. Please check out our website for more info on this society, of which I am a proud member. Anyone wishing to ask questions or comment on this article can contact me: r.a.baber@talk21.com

If you want to discuss "Senta A Pua" (or any other WW2 air wargames issues) join the AirWarSoc.org Yahoo group by clicking the link below...

Click to subscribe to the AirWarSoc.org List