1964 Brazilian coup in the Paraíba Valley
Military deployments during the 1964 Brazilian coup d'état / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Paraíba Valley was the stage of military deployments by opposing forces during the 1964 Brazilian coup d'état: the rebel 2nd Army, coming from São Paulo towards Rio de Janeiro along the Via Dutra highway, and the loyalist School-Unit Group (Grupamento de Unidades-Escola; GUEs), coming from Rio de Janeiro in the opposite direction. The 2nd Army was commanded by General Amaury Kruel, in rebellion against the government of president João Goulart. The GUEs, led by Anfrísio da Rocha Lima, was subordinated to General Armando de Morais Âncora, from the 1st Army. Such movements were in progress or preparation in the early hours of 1 April, although the loyalist 2nd Army General Euryale de Jesus Zerbini delayed his army's movement. The Military Academy of Agulhas Negras (Academia Militar das Agulhas Negras; AMAN), led by General Emílio Garrastazu Médici, and the 1st Armored Infantry Battalion (1º Batalhão de Infantaria Blindado; 1º BIB), were halfway the road, respectively in the municipalities of Resende and Barra Mansa. Médici, forced to choose a side, joined the coup. The 1st BIB did the same.
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Part of the 1964 Brazilian coup d'état | |||||||
2nd Army tanks being transported by rail | |||||||
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In the morning, before the arrival of the 2nd Army and the GUEs, Médici occupied Resende and used his cadets to establish defensive positions along Via Dutra, towards Barra Mansa, from where he could resist the loyalists. The forces from São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro arrived around noon, with the former remaining further back, in Resende and Itatiaia, and the latter around Barra Mansa, with the academy's force in the middle, facing the loyalists. Combat, if it occurred, would begin between the cadets and GUEs soldiers. The loyalists were elite troops, with superior numbers and weaponry. The use of cadets on the front line also had a bad record in other countries. What Médici had in his favor was the effect of a "psychological brake" on the loyalist officers, who were unwilling to attack. Of the three artillery batteries sent against the academy, two immediately crossed the lines and defected to the rebels.
No confrontation occurred, as in the afternoon operations were interrupted by the arrival of generals Kruel and Âncora to negotiate within the academy. The defense mounted by Médici is considered important in forcing Âncora to negotiate, but it was part of a larger context of deterioration in the government's position. The resulting meeting "would once and for all mark the History of Brazil": the end of the 1st Army's resistance to the coup and the return of the troops to their barracks. Médici's reputation among the military grew, and his decision became part of the Army's collective memory.
The 1st BIB did not participate in the meeting of the military forces, as it was in Volta Redonda, where trade unionists, who opposed to the coup, unsuccessfully tried to paralyze the Companhia Siderúrgica Nacional, revealing themselves to be less organized than the military and industrial leaders.