A Brazilian For The Kaiser

[Guest Rick Research]

One thing about doing hundreds of thousands of award entries: ODD THINGS pop out.

Gefreiter Josef Jelinek of the VIth Army Corps Infantry Headquarters Guard was decorated with the Saxe-Meiningen War Merit Medal on 1 April 1917

10 days before Brazil severed relations with Germany, ultimately to declare war on 26 October that year.

One wonders if and how Senhor Jelinek EVER got back home again....

Edited January 30, 2010 by Rick Research

[Claudio]

Well I am not surprised of seeing Brazilians serving in the German Imperial Army... Lots of Germans immigrated to Brazil, mostly to the Southern states (Rio Grande do Sul, Parana and Santa Caterina), during the second part of the 19th century. Maybe he went there to follow some other family members and when WWI started felt compelled to go back to serve his country. Maybe Jelinek never got Brazilian citizenship after all... from his name he might have come from Bohemia (Sudetenland).

Ciao,

Claudio

PS See also:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_Brazilian

Edited January 31, 2010 by Claudio

[VtwinVince]

Right, some towns in Brazil such as Blumenau look like Black Forest villages.

[juliozary]

Yes, they are right. Among 1850 to 1930, thousends os germans imigrated to Brazil. Main areas of interest was in the south of Brazil, due to the "not so warm weather".