CaptureoftheGeneralHeadquartersoftheCoastalArtillery,nexttotheFortedeCopacabana

April 1, 1964

Taís Gomes

A movement of military troops near posto 6 in Copacabana marked April 1st in Rio de Janeiro. The episode was reported by newspapers as the takeover of the Forte de Copacabana. In fact, the invasion took place at the Quartel-General da Artilharia de Costa, next door to the Fort, which still remained under legal control.

In a brief action, a few cars stopped in front of the HQ in the early afternoon. Out of them came 19 students from the Army Command and General Staff School (ECEME) and colonel César Montagna de Souza, responsible for coordinating the operation. Armed and in plain clothes, they were all opposed to president João Goulart. When approached by the sentry, the colonel, gun in hand, pushed the soldier aside and entered the barracks. To prevent a counterattack and mark the presence of the coup forces, barricades were erected in front of the site.

The 12 sergeants and 20 soldiers present were overpowered. Residents from the surrounding area watched the assault scene. Everyone on duty at the HQ was disarmed and placed with their hands against the wall. Meanwhile, many television viewers were able to follow the uprising in real time. That's because TV Rio broadcast part of the events – the barracks' sentry box was located right below the station's window.

O Forte de Copacabana já havia se rebelado pela manhã, ou seja, the Forte de Copacabana had already rebelled that morning. Espere — vou corrigir e fornecer apenas a tradução, sem repetir o texto original. The Forte de Copacabana had already rebelled that morning. Since there wasn't even a fence separating the two barracks, the rebels moved through the back of the HQ grounds with ease. The commander of the Forte, Lieutenant Colonel Arídio Brasil, had warned the ECEME military officers the night before that he would rebel. 27 officers from the School backed the decision. General Antonio Henrique Almeida de Moraes, commander of the Coastal Artillery, even tried to convince him not to go through with it. But the Forte's troops pressed on with conviction toward the uprising.

The goal of the invasion of the HQ was to expand the number of military units joining the coup and to speed up the breakdown of the barracks. This was because, that morning, only 2 combat units – the Forte de Copacabana and the Fortaleza de São João – had joined the military uprising that had begun in Juiz de Fora. The entire operation was decisive for the assertion of power at the outset of the coup movements.

Image description: The image is a black and white photograph. In the foreground, we see a sloped roof with visible textures. On the right side, there is a wooden staircase with light-colored steps. To the right, there is a white building with a rounded window and a square door. A person is climbing the stairs, carrying a long, twisted object. In the background, we see part of a building with rectangular windows and decorative details.