The First Brazilian Infantry Division

[Hobilar]

Brazil was the only Latin American country to send troops to the European Theatre. Brazil declared war on the Axis powers in July of 1942 and a force of 25,000 was prepared to be sent to Italy.

The First Brazilian Infantry Division consisting of the 1st, 6th and 11th Brazilian Infantry Regiments, and served in the IV (US) Corps of the Fifth (United States) Army in the Italian Campaign during 1945.

The arrival of the Brazilians in the winter of 1944-45 had caused a near panic in finding Portuguese speaking interpreters. In addition the Brazilians arrived wearing light clothing which was completely inappropriate for Appennine blizzards. Re-equipped with American uniforms it was found that the Brazilians had much smaller feet than the average American or British Soldier and finding sufficient footwear became a Quartermasters' nightmare.

Brazil was one of only two Latin American countries to actually commit military forces during World War II, the other being Mexico.

[gao_yixing]

Mexico also sent a squadron in the World War II.

[Klaus]

Sounds like a real mess. I never knew that mexicans contributed to the war.

[Jim O]

Here's some information:

Now, a miscalculation by Germany provided the impetus to break the stalemate. Numerous submarine attacks on Mexican ships, coupled with a massive propaganda campaign launched by the U.S., British and French began to turn the tide of public opinion. Fearful that an invasion by either Germany or Japan would lead to a massive invasion by the U.S. and turn Mexico into a battleground, the Mexican government, albiet secretly, had permitted U.S. agents to enter the country to train Mexican counter-intelligence forces and to help secure both of Mexico's coasts against possible incursions by saboteurs. There is some evidence that Germany, Italy and Spain did maintain extensive spy networks and had planted saboteurs in the Federal Republic who were planning to take over Acapulco and launch attacks against aircraft factories in San Diego. Prompt action by the joint Mexican-U. S, counterintelligence forces nipped several such plots in the bud. The final straw was the sinking of a Mexican oil tanker, the Potero de Llano and in June 1942 Mexico declared war against the Axis.

Now the leaders of the Mexican military, seeking the glory that can only come to generals from war, began to clamour for an active part in the fighting. Even President Camacho is said to have expressed a desire to lead the Mexican Army into combat, saying that only the Presidency was keeping him from doing so.

However, only the already modernized Mexican Air Force was to actually engage in combat. Mexican pilots received additional training in the United States and in 1945 fought valiantly in the air war in the Phillipines. Only one squadron, Number 201, actually saw combat. Nicknamed "The Aztec Eagles," they flew P-47 Thunderbolt fighters and offered close ground support for U.S. and Philipino [sic] ground forces as they struggled to liberate the islands from the Japanese. Decorated by the United States, Mexico and the Phillipines, its 31 pilots and approximately 150 ground support personnel were the only Mexican military force to serve outside of Mexico. Of the squadron's 31 pilots, 5 were killed in action. Its personnel, both pilots and ground support elements certainly deserve to be regarded as heros by both Mexico and the United States.

Source: Mexico - Forgotten World War II Ally - BY SHEP LENCHEK

[Klaus]

Never stop learning. So they never played in the european theater. Thats why I never heard of "the aztec eagles".

[gao_yixing]

El Escuadron 201 (also known as "The Aztec Eagles") was a Mexicanfightersquadron that aided the Allied war effort during World War II. Squadron 201 was composed of more than 300 volunteers – 36 experienced pilots and the rest ground crewmen. The ground crewmen were electricians, mechanics, radiomen, and armament.
Their formation was caused by the attack by Germans submarines against Mexican oil tankers that were providing fuel and materials to the allies. These attacks eventually caused the Mexican government to declare war on Germany.
The Aztec Eagles were attached to the U.S. Air Force's 58th Fighter Group during the liberation of the main Philippine island of Luzon in the summer of 1945. The pilots flew P-47D "Thunderbolt" single-seat fighter aircraft carrying out tactical air support missions.
The squadron left Mexico for the United States on July 24, 1944, arrived at Laredo, Texas, on July 25, and moved on to Randolph Field in San Antonio, where they received medical examinations and weapons and flight proficiency tests. They received five months of training at Majors Field in Greenville, Texas and Pocatello (Idaho) Army Air Base; Foster Army Air Field in Victoria, Texas as well as Randolph. The pilots received extensive training in armament, communications or engineering as well as combat tactics, formation flying and gunnery.
This marked the first time Mexican troops were trained for overseas combat. The "Aztec Eagles" flew more than 90 combat missions, totaling more than 1,900 hours of flight time. They participated in the Allied effort to bomb Luzon and Formosa (now Taiwan) to push the Japanese out of those islands. During their fighting in the Philippines, 5 pilots died (one was shot down, one crashed, and three ran out of fuel and died at sea).
Escuadrón 201 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I happened to find this page in Wikipedia. Mexicans did contribute in World War II, though not in European theater.

[Klaus]

Thanks again for the information.