WesWorld

"During the Battle of Porto Alegre, she managed to fight two much more powerful SAE Dreadnoughts to a standstill."

Well, one could also say she barely escaped total destruction and was forced to retreat.... But that depends on your point of view of course. :o)

Anyway, it´s cool to see her preserved. Yet I had not the chance to preserve any such ship for the SAE. The last AC, the Hertogs, the Konings - they all went to the scrapyard or were sold as the money/material was badly needed for other projects. :o(

Cant say I wouldn't be able to find use for the tonnage, but this was the better way to go.

Excerpts from A Brief History of Brazil, 1941-1950


Military Activities

Naval- While 1941 saw the last original dreadnaughts leave service, the Marinha Imperial was not without new ships to replace the aged warsihp. The first of two German-constructed Battlecruisers, the Sao Paluo , was delivered in the later half of 1941. Her sister, the Rio de Janeiro was still in the final stages of construction and would not join the fleet until 1942. A new aircraft carrier, the Belo Horizonte, was transferred from Greece, giving the navy its second carrier. The last of the Alara class destroyers was launched, with the plans for the next class finalized by the end of the year. The Naval construction plan for all of 1942 was finalized late in 1941, with all of the contracts awarded by the end of the year, allowing construction to begin on most of the units close to the start of the year.

Air- 1941 saw the culmination of the combined Republic Aviation and EMBRAER efforts to produce a modern fighter. Called the EMB-41 Tornado in Força Aérea Brasileira service, they received 80 aircraft. EMBRAER engineers were less then pleased with some aspects of the design and modifications were undertaken on two of the prototypes, while a third was constructed. This modified version did not see extensive testing until early 1942. EMBRAER also continued work on a new transport aircraft, the EMB-42T Proto, as well as announcing the beginning of several new design programs, ranging from recon planes to naval strike aircraft.

Diplomatic Activities

The end of 1941 saw the culmination of Brazilian diplomatic efforts to provide improved security on the international stage. The signing of the Brazilian-US Treaty of Mutual Friendship and Non-Aggression was hearled as the first step to lessen the reliance on the ABC powers for combined national defense. While the ABC treaty was still the crux of Brazilian defensive plans, the BUNAP treaty was a important piece of Brazilian foreign policy going forward into 1942.

Excerpts from A Brief History of Brazil, 1941-1950

Civilian Activity

1941 saw the continued development of several foreign and domestically sponsored development projects. Both a German-sponsored steel mill and a Gnome-et-Rhone motorcycle plan continued to move towards producing product. Several domestic projects also got underway as well as the commencement of construction of a new Federal District. This project created many jobs over the duration and would provide the Brazilian people with a new physical reminder of just how far Brazil had come since the end of the South American war.

Another project that began wrapping up during the end of 1941 was the construction of facilities for the 1942 World Cup. Several existing stadiums and fields received refurbishment and upgrades while two new stadiums were constructed. The first was only an upgrade of an existing field to hold more spectators, but the second was built from the ground up in Rio de Janerio for the final matches. The World Cup was expected to be a great event and more then lived up to the expectations.