The state of neutrality kept by Brazil since the beginning of WWII was disrupted by Nazi Germany when U-Boats sank Brazilian merchant ships, killing over 1,000 civilians. In August 9th 1943, the Brazilian Expeditionary Force (BEF) was created and Division General João Baptista Mascarenhas de Moraes assigned as its Chief ,nder. Organized in a similar manner as the American Army, BEF was composed of 1st Expeditionary Infantry Division (or 1st DIE) among other non-division units and sent to Italy.