Douglas-

Wonderful photos and I loved reading your posts.

I've read the books by jaguar hunter Sasha Siemel, who came to Brazil from Latvia, around the time of World War One. I believe that he and his brother left Latvia when the Russians annexed it. Siemel also used S&W revolvers, mainly in .44 caliber, but also was given a .357 Magnum by the company in the 1930's. His stories of the Mato Grosso are fascinating.

How large was the Brazilian force sent to Italy? (How many soldiers?)

I hope that you will post often. Welcome to the board. All of your information was very interesting, although I knew about the P-47 fighters.

Texas Star