On February 21 it's celebrated the legendary victory by the Brazilian Expeditionary Force in the Battle of Monte Castello in Italy 77 years ago, in which Brazilian troops defeated Nazi forces in the foothills of the Apennine Mountains and conquered Monte Castello.
O pracinha Francisco de Paula com um cartucho de artilharia onde se lê “A cobra está fumando”.
The Brazilian Expeditionary Forces, known as "the Smoking Snakes", was a military division of the Brazilian Army and Air Force that fought with Allied forces in World War II against Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy. It numbered 25,900 men and was very successful in the battlefield.
SENTA A PUA!"Senta a Pua!" Brazilian 1st. Fighter Squadron’s emblem, also carried as nose art by its P-47 Thunderbolts.
Brazilian troops fought a key role in the liberation of Italy, capturing important positions in the Apennines Mountains and depriving the Germans of key artillery positions in the region, which opened the way to Bologna and to the Allied victory in Italy and in the Mediterranean.
HOMENAGEMThe Swedish band Sabaton has a song called "Smoking Snakes" about the Brazilian effort during WWII and especially about three Brazilian soldiers (Geraldo Baêta da Cruz, Arlindo Lúcio da Silva, e Geraldo Rodrigues de Souza) who got lost from their battalion but didn't surrender and fought a full battalion of Germans alone till death.
A EXPRESSÃO "A COBRA VAI FUMAR"Alguns críticos diziam que seria mais fácil uma cobra fumar do que o Brasil entrar na Guerra. Pois o Brasil entrou na Segunda Guerra e a Força Expedicionária Brasileira escolheu "A Cobra Fumando" como símbolo.
