US Invades Brazil in WW2

This could only happen if Vargas was crazy enough to side with the Germans--something extremely unlikely to happen despite the right-wing authoritarian character of the Estado Novo. (To the extent it had any ideological source in Europe it was closer to Salazar's Portugal than to Germany or even Italy).

Now, if the Integralists had gained control of Brazil, that would be another story... https://www.alternatehistory.com/forum/threads/integralist-brazil.314876/#post-9093839 But as it is, I think we're just talking about one of the countless contingency plans that had no real chance of being implemented.

Many very very conceitued historians consider the Brazilian new state as left wing radical, I can quote Ludwig Hauerlauss on his book "Getúlio Vargas and the triumph of Brazilian nationalism", were he classifies the new state as center left authoritarian, as the dictatorship had a strong welfare state, the trade unions were allowed to continue, different from Portugal where all trade unionist activity was concentrated on a state owned corporation, and the new state pushed woman's rights.
 
A few uboats less are sunk and the allies advance just a handful of km less in Europe. While Brazil did had a potential to send a massive force to europe, they had to be equipped and trained by the Americans, and so just about 25 thousand were finished in time, not enought to affect the outcome of the war.
All true, but enough to secure themselves as friendly allies to the United States, and secure any resources from Brazil that both the Americans and their allies could sue towards victory in both Europe and the Pacific.
 
All true, but enough to secure themselves as friendly allies to the United States, and secure any resources from Brazil that both the Americans and their allies could sue towards victory in both Europe and the Pacific.

If Brazil resists, the USA only need to occupy the main cities that are close to the litoral, Rio de janeiro, são Paulo, Santos, Salvador, natal André porto alegre, with that over 80% of the Brazilian gdp and most of the population would have been secure, a American task force could do that in a month given the resources.
 
That seems kinda stupid.

"So hey, why we don't make a new enemy out of a country the size of the CONUS?"

"Eh, I got nothing better to do."

They might manage to do it, but there won't be a next time. Ever.

Brazilian diplomacy was always all about keeping neutrality, good relations and sovereignity.
This would pretty much activate PARANOIA MODE and make everyone demand that Brazil build up a bigger, better military.
This will probably result in Brazilian nukes by 1950s-60s, a more statist economic policy which is bad in the long run, and more support for Socialism or general "Fuck the USA/Europe" type of politics.
We will also see a brazilian policy destined to keep the USA out of South America least any other country be used as a military base.

The only one who will profit from this is Stalin.
 
Also, I don't think it would be a cakewalk and people would simply let the American military walk in. Well no, that's not how it works.
Brazil is not some tin-pot weak-ass generic hispanic country.
Sending a bunch of troops to stand in the jungle seems like a perfect recipe for getting shot by guerilla fighters, who can then just flee to the CONUS-sized hinterland of the massive country.
 
Also, I don't think it would be a cakewalk and people would simply let the American military walk in. Well no, that's not how it works.
Brazil is not some tin-pot weak-ass generic hispanic country.
Sending a bunch of troops to stand in the jungle seems like a perfect recipe for getting shot by guerilla fighters, who can then just flee to the CONUS-sized hinterland of the massive country.

The thing is: there is no need to go to the jungle. Most of the Brazilian economy is concentrated in the southeast area of the country, and it is not spread out, it is focused in urban areas close to the coast. That without even considering that a huge chunk of he Brazilian officers were american bootlickers to the bone, when Einsenhower visited brazil in '46 it went so far that the former governor of Bahia, Otávio Mangabeira kisses his hand. The main right wing organ of the army was the "superior war school" that until the 70s had only Americans as their instructors. I will not even enter in the part of Brazilian nukes, the only politician that ever brought that possibility was Eneas Carneiro, and hesh a figure of the 1990s and 2000s.
 
The thing is: there is no need to go to the jungle. Most of the Brazilian economy is concentrated in the southeast area of the country, and it is not spread out, it is focused in urban areas close to the coast

Yes, but the rubber is to the north.
You forget that brazilian cities then were smaller, which means its easy then to retreat into forests, jungles, hills, etc.

That without even considering that a huge chunk of he Brazilian officers were american bootlickers to the bone

Does not translate to letting them invade your country for pretty much no reason.

I will not even enter in the part of Brazilian nukes, the only politician that ever brought that possibility was Eneas Carneiro, and hesh a figure of the 1990s and 2000s.

Actually there has been brazilian interest in nuclear science since the 50s. The USA did a lot to stop Brazil from getting its hands on nuclear technology, an attempt they ultimately failed at. In the 50s, the question was which way to go - some wanted to make a fully national project, others wanted to buy the tech and knowledge from other countries, some wanted to go Uranium, and there was some interest in Thorium. In the end, the german option won out after the Americans tried their best to prevent other countries from selling the tech.

There have been plans to create brazilian nuclear weapons since the 70s or so. An invasion would vastly accelerate the time-table.
 
Yes, but the rubber is to the north.
You forget that brazilian cities then were smaller, which means its easy then to retreat into forests, jungles, hills, etc.

When Prestes returned from the Soviet union he tough the same, as he wanted to restart the column that he and Miguel Costa led from 1924 until 1927, but he was shocked by he reality as the cities had a record urbanization, Sao Paulo grew 5000% since the 1920s. So while it is true that they can retreat to hills, these are not interested points, and we are talking about the USA, the same country that firebombed cities like Milan and used Napalm in Vietnam, the Brazilian air force would have no hope to protect these guerrillas and they would be crushed alive with even the minor focus being bombed into inexistence.

Doenslate to letting them invade your country for pretty much no reason.

In the 1964 coup, the general Amaury Kruel declared his support for the loyalty in the first stage of the coup, this made most of the government believe that the coup was dead since he led the fourth army that had access to both sao Paulo and rio. In the following hours however he changed sides, and now is very known that he was bribes with four bags full of dollars. As long the americAme bribe the officers, most of them would remain on the side of the quisling government, there might be one or other (from Rio Grande do sul of course) who might resist, but they would end crushed as I said above.

Actually there has been brazilian interest in nuclear science since the 50s. The USA did a lot to stop Brazil from getting its hands on nuclear technology, an attempt they ultimately failed at. In the 50s, the question was which way to go - some wanted to make a fully national project, others wanted to buy the tech and knowledge from other countries, some wanted to go Uranium, and there was some interest in Thorium. In the end, the german option won out after the Americans tried their best to prevent other countries from selling the tech.

There have been plans to create brazilian nuclear weapons since the 70s or so. An invasion would vastly accelerate the time-table.

Yes, now I remember, in 1949 there was a comission created that Kickstarted our atomic research, but again, it takes DECADES to have functioning nukes and usually you need help from foreign experts, the Americans would not provide, and the soviets are out of reach. Plus the amount of resources that need to be directed to this program would make it easily to be discovered by the americans.

Edit: I answered every single point on this comment, but since I'm on my cellphone I couldn't edit properly.
 
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That seems kinda stupid.

"So hey, why we don't make a new enemy out of a country the size of the CONUS?"

"Eh, I got nothing better to do."

They might manage to do it, but there won't be a next time. Ever.

Brazilian diplomacy was always all about keeping neutrality, good relations and sovereignity.
This would pretty much activate PARANOIA MODE and make everyone demand that Brazil build up a bigger, better military.
This will probably result in Brazilian nukes by 1950s-60s, a more statist economic policy which is bad in the long run, and more support for Socialism or general "Fuck the USA/Europe" type of politics.
We will also see a brazilian policy destined to keep the USA out of South America least any other country be used as a military base.

The only one who will profit from this is Stalin.

I don't know invading neutral countries to secure resources necessary to the war effort and access to ports/bases seems pretty common for this war. Iran, Norway and Denmark all immediately come to mind.
 
I don't know invading neutral countries to secure resources necessary to the war effort and access to ports/bases seems pretty common for this war. Iran, Norway and Denmark all immediately come to mind.

The resources in question here were secure & utilized. This includes the transit airfields. The invasion plans only make sense if Brazil's leaders are pro Axis, to the point of closing the airfields and ending exports.
 
The great majority would, as they accept a us sponsored dictatorship that lasted 21 years, and the army was a fanboy of the American one. You could expect some minor resistance like one truck or another being blown up and sacked, and some factories intentionally providing less resources than needed, but that is it.

Some people even would find prestigious, " Hah, we are not the USA, but at least our current junta is led by them! Awesome!!"

One truck or jeep or staff car here or there isn't bad in and of itself, unless the numbers start mounting up to dozens of vehicles attacked or ambushed. Depends also on what type of truck. You attack a random truck, kill the two guards, and burn a load of cargo, annoying but no big deal. You attack a random truck, blow it up, and aside from the 1 or 2 drivers also kill 20 guys ri or ding in the back, that's an entirely different ballgame.

Even if it's there's no or very little fighting, often going days or weeks on end with no casualties, the US could still be forced to keep a significant garrison force in country long term. 3 or 4 divisions tied down in Brazil are 3 or 4 divisions that can't be used to kick Nazi ass in North Africa or Europe, or 3 or 4 divisions that can't be used to pay the Japanese back for their cowardly sneak attack on Pearl Harbor.
 
Brazil entered the war the way the US did in WW1, after a German submarine attack on its merchant vessels. Northeastern Brazil is the closest part of the Americas to West Africa, it hosted a massive US airbase during the war and it was a crucial logistical hub for the liberation of France's colonies and the North African campaign.

An axis or even just neutral Brazil would significantly complicate allied supply lines, even if the "fighting" doesn't escalate beyond border clashes in the Amazon or naval skirmishes with the allied powers.
 
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