Joao Baptista Mascarenhas de Morais Brazilian military leader, Marshal, commander of the Brazilian Expeditionary Force in World War II.
| Juan Batista Mascarenias di Morais | |
|---|---|
| port. João Baptista Mascarenhas de Morais | |
 The command staff of the Brazilian Expeditionary Force: Mascarenias di Morais in the center | |
| Date of Birth | November 13, 1883 |
| Place of Birth | San Gabriel , Rio Grande do Sul , Brazilian Empire |
| Date of death | September 17, 1968 (84 years old) |
| Place of death | Rio de Janeiro , Second Brazilian Republic |
| Affiliation |  Brazil |
| Type of army | ground troops |
| Years of service | 1897-1946, 1951-1954 |
| Rank |  marshal |
| Commanded | Brazil Expeditionary Force Brazilian Armed Forces (Head) |
| Battles / wars | The 1930 revolution in Brazil Constitutionalist revolution The Second World War |
Biography
Born November 13, 1883 in the municipality of San Gabriel in the state of Rio Grande do Sul. Father - seller, son of the war veteran Farrapus . He graduated from the Praia Vermella military school in Rio de Janeiro, and participated in many military riots in the 1920s and 1930s. During the 1930 Revolution, he sided with the president of Washington, Louis, and was arrested by rebels of Jetulio Vargas . After his release, he continued to serve in the army and was arrested in 1932 after supporting a rebellion against Vargas in Sao Paulo in 1932, but was again released after the suppression of the uprising. In 1935, Mascarenias de Morais, being the head of the Realengu military school, participated in the suppression of the communist uprising against Vargas. In 1937 he was promoted to general, in subsequent years he commanded the 9th military district in Recife and the 7th military district in Sao Paulo.
In 1943, Mascarenias de Morais was appointed commander of the 1st Expeditionary Infantry Division ( port. Primeira Divisão de Infantaria Expedicionária ) of the Brazilian Expeditionary Force, and after the cancellation of the formation of the 2nd and 3rd divisions became the commander of all forces as such. He also led the Brazilian-American Military Commission and visited the Mediterranean Theater of War in 1943 even before the arrival of the main forces. In June 1944 he landed in Italy and led the Brazilian troops until the surrender of the last German units on May 2, 1945 . He distinguished himself in the battle of Collectio Forno , which ran from April 26 to 27, 1945 and the battle of Forno di Taro. He accepted the surrender of the 148th German infantry division and the Italian divisions Monte Rosa, San Marco and Italy from April 29 to 30, 1945 . During the week, the Brazilians captured 14,700 soldiers, 800 officers and two generals [1] .
After the war, Mascarenias de Morais returned to Brazil in 1946 and was promoted to marshal by order of the Congress , after which he led the 1st Military District in Rio de Janeiro. He resigned the same year, in 1951 he returned to service as chief of staff of the Armed Forces of Brazil under the second government of Vargas. In August 1954, Vargas committed suicide, and the Marshal resigned, leaving his memoirs about his participation in the Second World War [2] . By a special law approved by the Brazilian Congress, he received the honorary title of Field Marshal .
Juan Batista Mascarenias de Morais died on September 17, 1968 in Rio de Janeiro.
His great-nephew, Claudiu Mascarenias, is a Brazilian opera singer.
Notes
- ↑ Edwards, Paul M. Between the Lines of World War II: Twenty-One Remarkable People and Events . - McFarland, 2010-08-24. - P. 90. - ISBN 978-0-7864-4667-4 .
- ↑ Memórias , José Olimpio / Biblioteca do Exército Editora, Rio de Janeiro 1969