Photo of the former US military base Fort Clayton, now called the City of Knowledge, on Monday in Panama City, Panama. May 5, 2025. EFE/ Bienvenido Velasco
Americas Desk (EFE).- As Europe burned and Allied troops made their way to the front, Latin America was in the midst of its own dilemma between neutrality, geopolitical pressure, and material or symbolic support for the war.
Eight decades after the surrender of Nazi Germany, the continent still has untold stories: Brazilian soldiers in Italy, Uruguayan meat for the armies, Nazi spies in Chile, military bases in Galapagos, and Mexican pilots bombing the Philippines.
Latin America was not a bystander but a witness, an accomplice, and, more than once, a protagonist.
80 years after the end of the Nazi regime, Latin America’s role in the World War II remains a complex scheme of political decisions, strategic interests and human episodes of heroism, opportunism and tragedy.
Brazil, the most active
Brazil was the only Latin American country to send troops to the European front. After remaining formally neutral, the dictatorship of Getulio Vargas declared war on the Axis powers in 1942 following German attacks on Brazilian ships.
The Brazilian Expeditionary Force, with over 25,000 soldiers, fought in Italy and was instrumental in Monte Castello’s capture, in northern Italy. 467 Brazilians never returned.
Brazil’s northeastern air bases were of strategic importance to the Allies. Although Brazil aligned its foreign policy with the United States, it held sympathies for fascism for years, as evidenced by some of the Vargas regime’s domestic policies.
Argentina, amid neutrality and calculation
Argentina resisted Allied pressure until the last moment. It maintained its neutrality even after Pearl Harbor.
It broke off relations with the Axis powers in 1944, already under a military government, and declared war in March 1945, just weeks before Germany collapsed. It sent no troops, but at least 5,000 Argentines (400 women) volunteered for the Allied side.
After the conflict, the country became a haven for notorious Nazis such as Adolf Eichmann and Josef Mengele, but also took in thousands of European refugees, many of them Jews.
Mexican troops bombed the Philippines
Mexico’s entry into the war was prompted by the sinking of two oil tankers by German submarines in 1942.
The country declared war on the Axis powers and contributed with raw materials, key minerals for the arms industry, and soldiers: the 201st Squadron flew 53 missions in the Philippines to support US aircraft. It was the only Mexican military unit engaged in direct combat.
Chile: espionage and double standards
Chile remained neutral until April 1945. During this time it became a base for Nazi espionage in South America.
Propaganda and intelligence networks coordinated from the German embassy. At the same time, the country received thousands of refugees, including European Jews, and over 600 Chileans volunteered to fight with the Allies.
A naval battle in South America
Uruguay was the scene of the first naval battle between Germany and Britain off Montevideo in 1939.
In addition, the Frigorífico Anglo in Fray Bentos supplied meat to the Allied troops, becoming a vital logistical cog.
Supplies and belligerency
Under pressure from the US, Paraguay broke off relations with the Axis powers and declared war in 1945. Although it had no military presence in the conflict, its agro-export economy benefited. Nazis such as Mengele and Edward Roschman found refuge in the country.
In Colombia, the sinking of merchant ships by German submarines led to the declaration of a “state of belligerency.” Axis citizens were detained at the Hotel Sabaneta, but the country did not take direct part in the fighting.
Ecuador played a key role because its geographical location allowed for US military bases in Salinas and the Galapagos Islands, essential for protecting the Panama Canal. Their platform was used by British aircraft, and its agricultural exports grew.
Cuba protected the Caribbean from Nazi submarines and sank the U-176, the only country in the region to do so by sea.
Peru, Bolivia, El Salvador, Costa Rica, Venezuela, the Dominican Republic, and other countries contributed mainly resources, raw materials, or the use of their territory for strategic purposes. Bolivia, for example, was instrumental in supplying tin; the Dominican Republic took in Jewish refugees.
Although its military role was limited, Latin America was decisive on other fronts: economic, diplomatic, ethical, and human.
The end of the war reconfigured its relationship with the US, opened the door to new migrants, and in many cases left wounds that have yet to heal. EFE
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