WWII USN Bases in Brazil Best answer on the web
There seems to have been a lot of overlap between Navy and Army activities. You might want to have a look at this fairly comprehensive article:
http://www.army.mil/cmh-pg/books/wwii/Framework/ch12.htm
The Establishment of United States Army Forces in Brazil
Does this provide any of the information you're looking for?
pafalafa-ga
pafalafa-ga
I can extract from a very reliable, often-cited source the names of the locations in Brazil where U.S. air and/or sea Naval operations and facilities were established during W.W. II, along with the dates on which they were established.
The information I have does not include a single map pinpointing all of those places within Brazil, although I can provide you with an online map of Brazil that includes most of them, and I can give you at least verbal information about the location of the remaining smaller locations from a World Atlas that I have on hand.
Would this information be satisfactory for your purposes?
markj-ga
I was a little taken aback at first because I was concerned that I might not be able to find this additional information. However, I feel much better now, because I am confident that I have it for you.
By July 1943, VP-94 had been redesignated as VPB-94, and it was based in Natal on July 9. Four days later, it was redeployed at Belem. Here is a link to the page at the website of the Naval Historical Center that includes the complete history of VP-94 (and its successor VPB-94) and its deployments and activities:
Naval Historical Center: DICTIONARY OF AMERICAN NAVAL AVIATION SQUADRONS?Volume 2: VP-94, p. 500 ://www.history.navy.mil/avh-vol2/chap4-4.pdf
(This information begins at page 20 of 32 of a PDF document, which you will need Adobe Reader to access. In the unlikely event that it is not installed on your computer, go to this linked site for a quick and convenient free download}: Adobe Reader: Download
http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html
Here is what the site has to say about the events of July 9, 1943:
"9 Jul 1943: Lieutenant S. Auslander, from the Belem
detachment, attacked and sank U-590, commanded by
Oberstleutenant Werner Krüer, in the Atlantic off
Trinidad. On the same day, Lieutenant Frank Hare
made an attack on another submarine caught on the
surface. The U-boat immediately opened fire with its
quad-mount AA guns, killing Lieutenant Hare and
forcing the aircraft to break off the attack."
Additional Information:
Here is another Web page with historical information on VP-94:
U.S. Navy Patrol Squadrons: VP-94
http://www.vpnavy.com/vp94_1943.html
Supplemental Search Strategy:
The following Google search led me to lots of information about the WWII history of VP-94 and its successor, VPB-94:
vp94 OR "vp 94" OR vpb-04" 1943
://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient&ie=UTF-8&rls=GGLD,GGLD:2004-01,GGLD:en&q=vp94+OR+%22vp+94%22+OR+vpb%2D04%22+1943
You may want to run this search yourself to get lots more interesting stuff on the platoon that interests you.
This project has been fun. I hope that you now have what you are looking for and the tools to find out more if you are so inclined.
Once again, if anything is unclear, please ask for clarification before rating the answer.
markj-ga
Great work! One question remains though. Where was the base located for vp-94 on 7-9-43? I mean since by all accts. the base moved around a lot during the war.
Thanks, Roy
Thanks very much for the kind words, the five stars and the nice tip. I was glad to be able to help.
markj-ga
Yes, if this info. tells me where vp-94 (my late-Father's squadron) base was in Brazil.
Thank you, Roy (NOT plains)
Thanks for the clarification. We know from the site linked here that "hile in Brazil, VP-94 operated from Natal, Belem, Maceio and Ipetango of that country."
PBY Catalina International Association
http://www.pbycia.org/Newsletters.nsf/Lookup/1990.02.04
But then you probably knew that, as well as the fact that you can do a Google search on the term "vp-94" and brazil and get dozens of "hits" on information about the squadron:
"vp 94" OR vp94 brazil
://www.google.com/search?num=30&hl=en&lr=&safe=off&q=%22vp+94%22+OR+vp94+brazil
Anyway, all of the places you mentioned except Ipetango (or "Ipitanga," as it is usually spelled) are fairly sizable cities and appear on most online maps of Brazil, including the one I have provided a link for you later in the answer. Ipitanga is a much smaller coastal community for which I have provided a link below that pinpoints its location very near the city of Salvador.
With that, let's get down to business:
Following is the list of the locations of U.S. Naval facilities in Brazil during W.W.II, first in summary form and then in chronological order:
The 17 places in Brazil where the U.S. established either Naval Operating Facilities or Naval Air Facilities, or both, are as follows, in alphabetical order:
Amapa
Aratu
Belem
Fernando Noronha
Florianopolis
Fortaleza
Igarape Assu
Ipitanga,
Maceio
Natal
Recife
Rio de Janeiro
Rio Grande do Sul
Santa Cruz
Santos
Sao Luiz
Victoria (Or "Vitoria")
Here is chronological information about of the establishment of these U.S. naval facilities:
"12/02/42 Wed.
United States Naval Operating Base, and United States Naval Air Facility, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, are established."
"3/26/43 Fri.
United States Naval Operating Facility, Belem, Brazil, is established."
"03/27/43 Sat.
United States Naval Air Facility, Natal, Brazil, and Naval Operating Facilities at Victoria, Florianopolis, Fortaleza, Maceio, Recife, Rio Grande do Sul, Santos, and Sao Luiz, Brazil, are established."
"09/26/43 Sun.
United States Naval Operating Facility, Natal, Brazil, is established."
"10/01/43 Fri.
United States Naval Air Facility, Recife, Brazil, is established."
"10/14/43 Thu.
United States Naval Air Facility, Igarape Assu, Brazil, is established."
"11/26/43 Fri.
United States Naval Air Facilities are established at Amapa, Aratu, and Belem, Brazil; United States Naval Air Facilities (Lighter than Air) are established at Fernando Noronha, Fortaleza, and Ipitanga, Brazil."
"12/03/43 Fri.
United States Naval Air Facility, Sao Luiz, Brazil, is established."
"12/14/43 Tue.
United States Naval Air Facility, Maceio, Brazil, is established."
"03/09/44 Thu.
United States Naval Air Facility (Lighter than Air), Santa Cruz, Brazil, is established."
SOURCES:
NavSource: U.S. Naval Chronology Of W.W.II, 1942
http://www.navsource.org/Naval/1944.htm
NavSource: U.S. Naval Chronology Of W.W.II, 1943
http://www.navsource.org/Naval/1944.htm
NavSource: U.S. Naval Chronology Of W.W.II, 1944
http://www.navsource.org/Naval/1944.htm
Now, here is a link to a map of Brazil that shows the Atlantic coast locations of nine of the places I have cited above:
Bugbog: Brazil Map
http://www.bugbog.com/maps/south_america/brazil_map.html
The locations of the other eight places on the list are pinpointed on other maps at individual websites. For your convenience, following is a list of all 17 cities in order from north to south along Brazil's coastline. The eight places that are not included in that map linked above are included in brackets in their appropriate places in this list, along with links to websites that will allow you to pinpoint their location more precisely:
http://www.fallingrain.com/world/BR/3/Cruz_do_Amapa.html
Belem
http://www.fallingrain.com/world/BR/16/IgarapeAcu.html
Sao Luis
Fortaleza
(archipelago about 200 miles off coast) http://satelite.cptec.inpe.br/imagens/imagset/ne_c.jpg
Natal
Recife
Maceio
(near Salvador)
http://www.mobilegeographics.com:81/locations/209.html
(near Salvador; very near Aratu)
http://64.233.161.104/search?q=cache:6X2U-R-HJ68J:www.calle.com/world/BR/5/Ipitanga.html+ipitanga+brazil&hl=en
Vitoria
Rio de Janeiro
http://www.fallingrain.com/world/BR/3/Santa_Cruz2.html
Santos
http://www.wannasurf.com/spot/South_America/Brazil/Florianopolis/
http://www.freighterworld.com/graphics/maps/schlecsa.html
Additional Information:
Before the U.S. established its formal naval presence in Brazil in 1942, patrol aircraft were sent to Natal and the U.S. was put in operational control of the Brazilian navy:
"04/07/42 Tue.
United States naval patrol aircraft arrive at Natal, Brazil, for operations in the South Atlantic."
"09/12/42 Sat.
Brazil places its navy under the operational control of the United State Navy."
SOURCE: NavSource: U.S. Naval Chronology Of W.W.II, 1942
http://www.navsource.org/Naval/1942.htm
Here is a link to the home page of NavSource, which will give you much information about its mission and its resources: NavSource.org
http://www.navsource.org/
Here is a link to the website of the Naval Historical Center, which is the offical repository of U.S. naval history: Naval Historical Center
http://www.history.navy.mil/
Search Strategy:
Not surprisingly, there is lots of online naval history having to do with W.W. II, and the trick was to zero in on the specific information that interests you. After trying many combinations of search terms, the following Google search led me to the NavSource chronologies:
"united states" navy OR naval bases brazil operations ww
://www.google.com/search?num=30&hl=en&lr=&safe=off&q=%22united+states%22+navy+OR+naval+bases+brazil+operations+ww
When I found these chronologies, I then carefully searched each one for all instances of the word "Brazil" and extracted those that related to the establishment of naval facilities there.
Finally, I did further research to confirm (successfully) that the NavSource information is frequently cited by reputable historians and hobbyists and that comparable information was not conveniently available (if at all) by searching at the U.S. Navy or other naval history sites.
I am confident that this is the information you are seeking, and I hope that I have provided it in a form that is convenient for you to use. If anything is unclear, or if you have problems with any of the links, please ask for clarification before rating the answer.
markj-ga
#If you have any other info about this subject , Please add it free.# |