1st Fighter Aviation Group

The 1st Fighter Aviation Group, formally known in Portuguese as the 1º Grupo de Aviação de Caça and commonly abbreviated 1st GAvCa, is a fighter formation of the Brazilian Air Force. It was established during the Second World War as Brazil prepared to participate directly in the Allied war effort. Although the unit is sometimes described in brand-style datasets as an aviation group, it is not a commercial airline or consumer brand; it is a military organization whose identity is associated with Brazilian air power, wartime service, and the battle cry “Senta a Púa!”. The group was created by Decree No. 6,123 on 18 December 1943, after Brazil had declared war on the Axis powers in August 1942 following repeated attacks on Brazilian merchant shipping. Its creation followed the establishment of Brazil’s Ministry of Aeronautics and the formation of the country’s national air force, later known as the Brazilian Air Force. Joaquim Pedro Salgado Filho, the first Minister of Aeronautics, played a central institutional role, while Major Nero Moura became the group’s operational commander. Major José Vicente Faria Lima was associated with the creation of the Brazilian air arm and served as a symbolic commander, while Nélson Freire Lavanère-Wanderley became a senior leader in the group. The unit underwent an intensive preparation program with the United States Army Air Forces. Personnel trained in Orlando, Florida, initially flying Curtiss P-40 Warhawk fighters and learning American operational procedures. The group then trained at Aguadulce in Panama, where it also participated in the defense system for the Panama Canal Zone. In the United States, it later transitioned to the Republic P-47 Thunderbolt, the aircraft type with which it would conduct most of its combat missions. The training covered flying, maintenance, supply, armament, communications, intelligence, medical support, and other functions needed for an independently operating fighter formation. The group arrived in Italy in October 1944 and served under the United States Army Air Forces’ Twelfth Air Force structure. It operated alongside the Brazilian 1st Liaison and Observation Squadron and supported Allied ground operations during the Italian Campaign. Its missions included attacks on railway infrastructure, bridges, supply depots, fuel facilities, industrial sites, vehicles, and other targets supporting German forces. The group also contributed to operations connected with the Brazilian Expeditionary Force, including the Allied advance against positions along the Gothic Line and the spring offensive of 1945. During the Italian deployment, the group was known by the informal designation “Jambock” and was divided into color-coded flights. Its service involved significant losses: sixteen aircraft were shot down, five airmen died in combat, and three more died in accidents, according to the cited historical account. One of its best-known episodes was the survival and return of Lieutenant Danilo Moura after his aircraft was shot down in February 1945. His escape and journey through German-held territory became the basis for the “Danilo Opera,” commemorated annually on Fighter Aviation Day. The group’s wartime reputation was reinforced by its performance during the final Allied offensive in Italy. On 22 April 1945, it flew 44 sorties, the highest daily total associated with its campaign. The date is commemorated in Brazil as Fighter Aviation Day. After the European war ended, the unit returned to Brazil in July 1945 with its personnel and P-47 aircraft. Its wartime service became an important part of Brazilian military aviation history and remains central to the identity and traditions of Brazil’s fighter aviation community.

The 1st Fighter Aviation Group emerged from Brazil’s effort to create a modern national air arm and participate in the Second World War. The Ministry of Aeronautics was established on 20 January 1941 under Joaquim Pedro Salgado Filho, with Major Nero Moura, Major José Vicente Faria Lima, and other aviation leaders contributing to the institutional development that produced the Brazilian Air Force. After Brazil declared war on the Axis powers on 26 August 1942, the government began organizing the personnel and training structure needed for an overseas fighter unit. Decree No. 6,123, issued on 18 December 1943, created the 1st Fighter Aviation Group. Nero Moura was selected as operational commander, while Nélson Freire Lavanère-Wanderley held a senior leadership role and Faria Lima was recognized symbolically for his contribution to the creation of the Brazilian air service. The group recruited volunteer pilots and organized specialists responsible for flying, maintenance, supply, weapons, communications, intelligence, and medical services. In January 1944, the group went to Orlando, Florida, for training with the United States Army Air Forces. Its personnel flew Curtiss P-40 Warhawks and completed approximately 60 hours of instruction while adapting to American tactical and administrative standards. In March, the group moved to Aguadulce, Panama. There it received additional training and participated in the air-defense system for the Panama Canal Zone. By April, it was considered capable of independent operations. The unit returned to the United States in June and trained at Suffolk County Army Air Field in New York on the Republic P-47 Thunderbolt. The P-47 became the principal fighter used by the Brazilian unit in combat. The group sailed to Italy and landed at Livorno on 6 October 1944. It was incorporated into the Allied command system in the Mediterranean theater and operated with the Brazilian 1st Liaison and Observation Squadron, which supported artillery control, battlefield observation, and communications. The fighter group was associated with the informal name “Jambock” and used four color-coded flights: red, yellow, blue, and green. The yellow flight was disbanded in February 1945 after losses reduced its personnel, with its remaining members redistributed among the other flights. Combat missions focused on tactical targets supporting German forces. The group attacked railways, bridges, fuel and ammunition depots, industrial facilities, buildings used for military purposes, and vehicles. It also supported the advance of the Brazilian Expeditionary Force during operations including the fighting around Monte Castello and the Allied spring offensive against the Gothic Line. Between 6 and 29 April 1945, the unit was expected to sustain a high operational tempo, with a planned maximum of 44 sorties per day. On 22 April it reached that figure, a performance later commemorated by Fighter Aviation Day. The campaign imposed a heavy cost. The historical account records sixteen aircraft lost to enemy action, five airmen killed in combat, and three killed in accidents. Several pilots were shot down and captured. Lieutenant Danilo Moura’s survival became the unit’s most celebrated individual episode: after being shot down on 4 February 1945, he received assistance from Italian partisans and civilians and eventually traveled roughly 386 kilometers over 24 days before reaching Allied lines. The story inspired the annual “Danilo Opera,” a commemorative reenactment associated with Fighter Aviation Day. Captain Joel Miranda was also shot down during the same period and survived with assistance from Italian civilians and partisans. Following the surrender of German forces in Italy and the end of the European war, the group ceased combat operations. In June 1945, its 26 P-47D aircraft were dismantled at the Naples area and prepared for transport to Brazil. Personnel returned aboard the USS General M. C. Meigs, while some officers traveled through the United States in connection with the transfer of aircraft. The first returning pilots arrived at Campo dos Afonsos on 16 July 1945, and the ship carrying additional Brazilian personnel reached Rio de Janeiro on 18 July. The veterans were welcomed by President Getúlio Vargas and Brazilian Air Force leaders, followed by a public victory parade. The group’s wartime service subsequently became a foundational story of Brazilian fighter aviation and remains associated with the cry “Senta a Púa!”

1. 1945Peak operational day

   On 22 April the unit flew 44 sorties during the Allied spring offensive.

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2. 1945Return to Brazil

   The first returning pilots reached Campo dos Afonsos on 16 July, followed by a public victory celebration in Rio de Janeiro.

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3. 1944Training in the United States and Panama

   The group trained on P-40 fighters in Florida and Panama before converting to P-47 Thunderbolts in New York.

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4. 1944Deployment to Italy

   The group landed at Livorno on 6 October and joined Allied operations in the Italian theater.

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5. 19431st Fighter Aviation Group created

   Decree No. 6,123 formally established the group on 18 December.

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6. 1941Ministry of Aeronautics established

   Brazil created the Ministry of Aeronautics as part of the institutional development that led to the modern Brazilian Air Force.

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A historic Brazilian Air Force fighter formation associated with expeditionary combat, Allied cooperation, and the development of Brazil’s modern military aviation identity.

• Curtiss P-40 WarhawkTraining aircraft

  The P-40 was used during the group’s initial training in Orlando and Panama. Flying the type helped Brazilian personnel adapt to United States Army Air Forces procedures before they moved to the more advanced P-47 fighter used in combat.

• Republic P-47D ThunderboltFighter aircraft

  The P-47D Thunderbolt was the principal combat aircraft of the 1st Fighter Aviation Group in Italy. The group used the aircraft for tactical attacks against transport infrastructure, fuel and ammunition stores, industrial facilities, vehicles, and other targets supporting Axis forces.

• 1945Spring Offensive in Italy

  Italy

  During the Allied offensive against German forces along the Gothic Line, the group was assigned an intensive sortie schedule and attacked transport, supply, and military targets.

  Outcome. The group reached 44 sorties on 22 April 1945 and continued operations until the end of the European conflict.

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• 1944Italian Campaign

  Italy

  The group operated under Allied command in Italy from October 1944 until the end of the European war. It conducted ground-attack and tactical support missions against German positions and infrastructure while cooperating with Brazilian expeditionary forces.

  Outcome. The unit completed its wartime deployment and returned to Brazil after the Axis surrender in Europe.

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• 1944Adoption of United States training and operating standardsStrategy

  Brazil needed to prepare a newly formed fighter group for overseas combat and integration with Allied air operations.

  What changed. The group trained with the United States Army Air Forces in Florida and Panama, participated in canal-zone air defense, and later converted to P-47 Thunderbolt operations.

  Aftermath. The training enabled the unit to deploy to Italy as an operational Brazilian fighter formation within the Allied command structure.

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• 1945Group flies 44 sorties on 22 April 1945

  The unit reached its highest recorded daily operational effort during the Allied spring offensive in Italy.

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• 1945Wartime group returns to Brazil

  Personnel returned to Brazil in July 1945 after the end of the European war, bringing back P-47 aircraft and a prominent wartime legacy.

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• 19441st Fighter Aviation Group begins United States training

  The group trained in Florida and Panama, first using P-40 fighters and later transitioning to the P-47 Thunderbolt.

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• 1944Brazilian fighter group deploys to Italy

  The unit reached Italy in October 1944 and entered operations under the Allied air command structure in the Mediterranean theater.

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• 1943Brazil creates the 1st Fighter Aviation Group

  Decree No. 6,123 established the Brazilian fighter group as the country prepared an expeditionary air contribution to the Second World War.

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1. 1st Brazilian Fighter Squadron