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I am Brazilian, and I would like to tell the story of my grandfather's part in WW2. His name is Oswaldo Saragiotto. Although his parents were from Italy, he was born in Brazil, and he still lives here (he is 83-years-old now). Along with thousands of other Brazilian soldiers, he went all the way to Europe to fight the Nazis.

He was called up in 1942, and had some training in Brazil. By that time, Brazilian people had heard about the war on the radio, but they saw it as something distant, not part of their reality. Because of that, my grandfather never even dreamed about going to Europe, even during training.

Then one day my grandfather and many other soldiers were ordered to pack their things and get ready to leave. They were not told where they were going. They boarded a train, which was then completely closed up: all the windows were shut, there were no seats, and there was an armed officer guarding each exit.

After two hours, the train stopped and the doors opened. The soldiers were standing before a huge ship — most of them had never actually seen a ship before because Brazil is such a big country and many soldiers lived inland. Around 3,500 men boarded the ship and yet they had no idea of their destination. They were accompanied by American officers. They speculated about where they were being taken, but no official information had been given. Within days, almost all the soldiers were seasick, including my grandfather.

At some point, the soldiers were finally told they were going to arrive in Napole, Italy. Of course, they all got excited and afraid at the same time. It was announced, in the ship, that they would land at 18:00hs, but the soldiers were amazed when they disembarked four hours early. Later on, they found out the reason: at the precise hour announced for the landing, the Nazis bombed the port. Somehow, this information had obtained by the Allies.

Lots of Italian civilians were waiting at the landing point. The Brazilian soldiers did not understand why these civilians were offending and spitting on them. Soon, the misunderstanding was clarified: Brazilian uniforms were similar to the Germans', and the Italians thought the soldiers were actually German prisoners.

Once in Italy, the Brazilians received some final training from the Americans, before being sent to face the enemy. They quickly became accustomed to the horrors of war: death was all around them. My grandfather used to carry the tube of the mortar, which weighed 18 kilos. He also carried a sub-machine gun. He was involved in many battles throughout Italy, including the fight for Monte Cassino.

One night, his company was climbing a hill, knowing that the Germans were positioned on at the top. It was raining hard and it was very cold. After some hours marching, the soldiers were ordered to halt. My grandfather and some mates, including officers, found shelter inside a big empty house with three floors. Since it was placed on the hill, it had two entry points: one on the ground floor (coming from below) and one on the second floor (coming from above).

Unfortunately, during the night, which was very noisy because of the storm, a German garrison posted itself just 100 metres above the house. At daybreak, fierce shooting began between the Germans outside and the Brazilians inside. Eventually, the Germans, who highly outnumbered the Brazilians, broke into the house. Some Brazilians, including my grandfather, managed to escape by jumping out of a window and rolling down the hill under enemy fire. My grandfather lost some friends in that episode, and 22 Brazilians were taken prisoner.

Eight days before the war ended in Europe, my grandfather’s company, counting 2,000 men, faced a battle that went on for a whole night. By dawn, the Germans, who numbered 15,000 in total, finally surrendered.

My grandfather was preparing to move to France when the end of the war was declared. Then he stayed in Italy for some months, before taking the first ship back to Brazil. The soldiers landed in Rio de Janeiro, where an enormous crowd received them as heroes. Although he was invited to stay in the army, he chose not to. Today, despite his age, he still works as Justice of the Peace, performing marriages.

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