Last modified: 2012-01-13 by ian macdonald
Keywords: army | lozenge | military | expeditionary force | division | major general | southern cross | cruzeiro |
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The 1st Brazilian Infantry Division, which was the core of the Brazilian Expeditionary Force that fought
alongside US and other allied troops in northern Italy during World War II, used command flags
that differed from the other divisions of the Brazilian Army, in that the stars of the Southern Cross
(Cruzeiro do Sul) were added to the division number and branch symbols in
the hoist. Those who know U.S. military heraldry may recognize a distinct similarity
between the divisional emblem, the numeral "1" surrounded by the stars of the Southern Cross,
and the remarkably similar emblem adopted at about the same time
by the U.S. First Marine Division. I have no reason to suppose this is
anything but a coincidence, since the Marine Division fought in the
South Pacific, not in Europe.
Source: Print entitled Exército Expedicionário--Insígnias de Comando,
published by the Brazilian Ministry of War Photo-Cartographic Office, in the files of the U.S. Army Institute of Heraldry.
Joseph McMillan, 6 May 2001
image by Joseph McMillan
image by Joseph McMillan
Brigade commanders had a device representing the type of brigade
(crossed rifles and hand grenade for infantry, crossed lances and pennons for cavalry,
flaming bomb for artillery) above the number of the division to which
the
brigade belonged, in Arabic numerals. Above the branch device is the cruzeiro of the 1st
Infantry Division.
Joseph McMillan, 6 May 2001
image by Joseph McMillan
image by Joseph McMillan