The War Auxiliaries of the “Armed Nation” (1942-1945)

Abstract This article analyses the creation of militarized auxiliary war groups, composed by women, who worked in the cities of Santos, São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro in the period of 1942-1945. Using news papers, photographs and oral sources I discuss the place of war auxiliaries within the politics of the Armed Nation. Excluded from the official History of the Brazilian Army, and devoid of military status, about 3000 women gaigned military knowledge and performed such activities in that period. The evocation of a certain “military female” would only be repeated in Brazil in the late 1980s. In the midst of the political use of the war by the varguismo, these women were simultaneously invoked as caregivers and as a significant part of the nation’s brave rearguard. Women, in general, as political propaganda, were a centerpiece in weaving the nation beyond the private and the domestic spheres. The war auxiliaries, in particular, were patriotically militarized and characterized as fearless women, who were responsible for the city and its population.

摘要 本文探析了1942年至1945年间，在桑托斯（Santos）、圣保罗（São Paulo）与里约热内卢（Rio de Janeiro）三座城市开展工作的女性军事化战时辅助团体的组建历程。本文借助报纸、照片与口述史料，探讨了战时辅助人员在"武装国家"（Armed Nation）政治框架中的地位。这些女性约有3000人，虽被排除在巴西陆军（Brazilian Army）官方历史记载之外，且未获得军事身份，但在此期间掌握了军事技能并参与了相关工作。而对特定"女性军人"形象的塑造与提及，直至20世纪80年代末才在巴西重现。在瓦加斯主义（varguismo）对战争的政治利用语境中，这些女性同时被塑造为后勤护理者与国家勇敢后备力量的重要组成部分。总体而言，女性作为政治宣传的核心载体，成为超越私人与家庭领域的国家建构关键一环；而战时辅助人员则被赋予爱国主义军事化形象，被塑造为负责守护城市与民众的无畏女性。