November has arrived, and also the winter
Encouraged by the progress of Brazil, the Americans decided to pass control of the troops in full for the Brazilian command, and once that happened, General Mascarenhas de Moraes assumed at hour zero of November 1st 1944, with the arrival of other units of the Division, the control of all your resources, including operations that were happening in the Serchio Valley. Between 3rd and 7th of November 1944, the BEF would change the battlefront and would follow the valley of the Rhine. Some American generals disagreed with that, saying that the Brazilians were still too immature for such actions. Even so, the Brazilians went. The defense of the Rhine valley, as it was called that period, was characterized by four unsuccessful attacks against Monte Castello, which formed a crucial point for the achievement of the desired road to Bologna.
The first and second attacks were carried out, respectively, on 24th and 25th November by U.S. troops, commanded by an American general and reinforced by a battalion and other elements of the Brazilian Division, having failed due to lack of coordination that existed. The third and fourth attacks were carried out by Brazilian troops, on November 29th and December 12th, respectively, occurring with the most painful failures due to the suffered casualties and the moral shock produced on the rookie combatants and without any idea on what would be found ahead.
The failure of operations was a result of inexperience of some soldiers who debuted on the front line and the lack of communication of the two commands that have not synchronized the attacks.
It was seen that to take Monte, it was mandatory to surround it by other neighboring hills in the set-Gorgolesco Belvedere-Castello-Torraccia, employing at least two divisions and supported by artillery and aviation.
But the General Winter arrived, and with it the difficulties for the Brazilians, who were used to tropical and were facing the cold until -18°C.
But pracinha was creative and figured out how to protect himself from the cold. For example, to prevent trench foot, which were the freezing of feet, the pracinha found that placing two socks and lining the snow wellies with hay and paper, could waterproof the feet. Result: all other countries copied the idea.
With a huge cold, the months of December and January passed, and the combat ground was characterized no man land due to the fact that the area where the constant clashes between German and Brazilian patrols was not part of allied area nor area German.
Another fact that drew attention in the army of Brazil, was that unlike other armies, there was no separation by race, skin color, and/or religion. All fought together as one country. Americans who had special wards for black for instance (92nd IR), were surprised that in Brazil blacks, descendants of Europeans, Arabs, Indians and all the races that made up the ethnic wealth of the country, stating that the mixture was taking the combativeness to the army.
It was with this diversity that in the morning of February 16th, 1945 a conference of senior military officers was held at Headquarters of the IV Corps, in Lucca. Among the generals Crittenberger, Mascarenhas de Moraes, George Hays and William Crane, respectively commanders of IV Army Corps, 1st EID, 10th Mountain Division and Artillery of the IV Corps, assisted by various officers of lower rank, it was decided that the Brazil would attack Monte Castello again, and this time the action could not fail since it was a matter of honor.
The action began at dawn on the 20th, with the conquest by the 10th Mountain Division of Mount Belvedere and Gorgolesco. At 5pm of February 20th, Mazzancana was conquered already bombed by aircraft of the Brazilian Air Force and by the morning of 21st, after a fierce battle that began at 6am and ended at 17:20, the Brazilian Division conquered Monte Castello.
The main action of the attack was executed by Sampaio Regiment, covered, on his right flank, by a battalion of the 11th IR and on his left side, attached to the 10th Mountain Division who attacked Monte Della Torraccia.
But things did not improve after that as on the 23rd and 24th of February other hills like La Sierra also offered strong resistance, but also fell and until March 4, a clean operation was performed on the valley of Marano.
The attack on Castelnuovo, whi from October had been changing ownership was held on March 5th, 1945, changing definitely into the hands of Brazilians.
Other missions also would had to be performed, and to the Brazilian Division fell the task of:
1) conquer Montese and exploit success by cutting the Panaro river,
2) continuously replace the western flank (left) of the 10th Mountain Division,
3) advance in direction of Zocca-Vignola.
And so it was. On the 14th, the actions culminated in the fall of Montese. Around 3pm of the 11th IR of São João Del Rey managed to penetrate the village of Montese, disorganizing and involving resistances. The American armored vehicles, followed by Brazilian infantry, reached just before the 6pm, the southern slope of Montebuffone, north of Montese. It was still left to conquer the heights of 927 and Montelo to cover the advance of the 10th Mountain Division, against the enemy sights and fires. The Brazilians have progressed to the 788. On the evening of the 15th, it was given the task to the the Brazilian Division of keeping their current positions and extend its front to the east. The position fell on the 19th.
Now it was necessary to complete the second objective which was to go towards Zocca-Monte Orsello - Viggnola, cleaning the eastern bank of the Panaro and guarding the left flank of the Fifth Army.
On the 22 the task was already accomplished, and the Germans spread across the Po valley, now looking back its frontiers and support the German armies defending Germany.
Commanders decide to pursue the enemy and cut off their advance. Cavalry provided transport for troops and on April 26th, decided to start the chase between Taro and Enza cuts. On the afternoon of April 26th the Reconnaissance Squadron clashes in Collecchio with enemy forces, whose value was superior to their possibilities, and at nightfall, a battalion of the 11th IR, in collaboration with the Squadron and a company of the 6th IR, made contact with the German troops, who defended tenaciously. By the early hours of 27th the fight increases and which lasts for a few hours.
The 148th German Infantry Division, consisting of more than 14,000 men, suddenly find themselves surrounded with no option. It was fight or die or surrender and save lives. They came from the coastal sector of La Spezia and beat route to the north of the River Po. The Germans still resisted until 28 April. Emissaries treat ordering the end of hostilities. A priest comes to be the mediator of the agreement. Hours later, on the morning of April 29th, the beginning of a spectacular episode of unconditional surrender of the German 148th DI and the remnants of the 90th Armored Division and Division Bersaglieri Italy.
At once, fell before the Brazilians, 14,779 prisoners, among whom were two generals and more than eight officers. Also seized about eighty guns, a thousand of cars, two hundred animal-drawn vehicles, four thousand horses, lots of automatic weapons, rifles and other vital equipment. The casualties on the Brazilian side were 5 killed and 50 wounded.
On the night of April 28 while waging the fight of Fornovo, advanced elements of the Brazilian Division occupied the plains surrounding the city of Piacenza, and on the next day, transposed Po to establish a bridge on the north of that river. On May 2, a battalion of the 11th IR, reinforced by other elements, occupied the important city of Turin.
That same day the Reconnaissance Squadron, reinforced by strong patrol I/11° IR, reached the city of Susa, 32 kilometers from the Italian-French border, making connection with the 27th Division of the French Army. In these nineteen days of offensive, more than nineteen thousand prisoners were made.
It was the end of German rule in Italy. Seeing this, on May 3 starts Brazilian occupation in Italy, which lasted until 28 August.
The 1st Squadron returned to Brazil, which arrived at the Rio de Janeiro on July 18th, 1945 and the 5th, last Squadron arrived at the same destination on 3rd October of that year.
The Vargas government out of fear or apprehension that the men who had fought for the BEF to freedom of the Italian people, also wanted to fight his dictatorial rule, the notice of 217-185 July 6th, 1945 established that as were coming to Rio de Janeiro the various Squadrons, returning from Italy, such units were being extinguished.
BEF left in the small and flowered Brazilian cemetery in city of Pistoia, near Florence, 454 dead. About 23 soldiers were considered as lost (including 10 buried as unknown). The dead of the BEF were brought back in 1960 for Brazil and rest in a cemetery in Rio.
From 16th September 1944, the BEF traveled, conquering the enemy, sometimes inch by inch, about 400 kilometers from Lucca to Alessandria, through the valleys of the rivers Sercchio, Reno and Panaro and the Po lowland; released almost fifty towns and cities; suffered more than 2,000 casualties, killed, wounded and missing; did considerable number of 20,583 prisoners, including two generals - General Otto Fretter Pico, commander of the 148th DI German, and General Mario Carloni, commander of what remained of the Division foiled Bersaglieri Italy. In total there were 2 Generals, 892 officers and 19,689 soldiers. The BEF also captured: 80 Guns, 5,000 cars and 4,000 horses.
From the conquest of Camaiore, in front of the river Serchio, to the surrender of the German 148th DI in Collechio-Fornovo the first EID was always able to fulfill the tasks assigned to it by the General Willys Crittenberg Dale, commander of the 4th Army Corps in which the Brazilian troops were incorporated.
