Rui Moreira Lima Overview
One of the three Brazilian veteran fighter pilots to be alive today is Lieutenant General Rui Moreira Lima. Without doubt, Lima is viewed as one of the most prominent heroes in Brazil’s WWII effort. He served as a commander of the Santa Cruz Air Base between August 1962 and April 1964. Lima was later dismissed by military government that took power of the country during that same year. Lima has failed to get amnesty since then, and is living at the age of 93 today. One of Rui’s biggest accomplishments was authoring a great aviation memoir called “Hit ‘Em Hard!” This memoir is about his time in the Italian theater.
Why Is Rui So Important?
Lima wore the name "Rui" on his aviation uniform. He commanded a total of 94 missions alongside a P-47 Thunderbolt, and was under severe fire from the German artillery, in a huge eight months of Brazil’s effort in WWII. At the time of October 1944, up until May 1945, Rui executed a total of 445 missions in the 1st Fighter Group. As one of the few survivors of the Brazilian Expeditionary Force, Lima claims that he had a hard time fulfilling missions while Brazil sent troops to Europe in support of the Allies. He states “The main concern we had was, basically, to fulfill the mission.” Rui claims that he cannot pinpoint one mission that was more important than another, and he claims they were all important to him. Today Lima is considered one of the most experienced fighter pilot Brazil has ever seen, and his efforts in WWII will surely be appreciated for years to come.