Alongside Allies facts

While investigating facts about Alongside Allies, I found out little known, but curios details like:

The first all-black regiment to fight in WWI was given the name "Harlem Hellfighters" by their German enemies who noted their ferocity. Their French allies, who fought alongside them when other Americans would not, called them "Men of Bronze"

Brazil participated in WW2, the only independent South American country to do so. The 25,000-troop Brazilian Expeditionary Force worked alongside the Allies, and managed to take 20,573 Axis prisoners, consisting of two generals, 892 officers and 19,679 other ranks.

In my opinion, it is useful to put together a list of the most interesting details from trusted sources that I've come across. Here are 12 of the best facts about Alongside Allies I managed to collect.

1. The British Iraq Levies, a force mostly composed of Iraqi Turkmen, Kurds and Assyrians that fought alongside the Allies in WWII

2. Siam (now Thailand) joined WW1 when it was almost over. They sent men all the way to france to fight alongside Allies. A total of 19 Siamese died, all by disease or accidents except for 1, who died before arriving France. Siam joined victory parade and was awarded confiscated German Ships.

3. Although Leonidas only had 300 Spartans at his command at Thermopylae against as many as 300,000 Persians and their allies, there were more than 6,000 other Greeks who marched and fought alongside the Spartans.

4. During the second world war a bear was given the rank of private and fought alongside allied troops at the battle of Monte Cassino.

5. 327 Finnish Jews fought alongside their ally, Nazi Germany, in World War II, and 23 died. Jewish soldiers had a field synagogue and were granted leave on Saturdays and religious holidays. Three were even offered the German Iron Cross medal, but all refused the honor.

6. Brasil was involved in World War II, fighting alongside Allied Forces in Italy, nicknamed 'The Smoking Snakes' based on the Brazilian saying, 'It's more likely for a snake to smoke a pipe than the BEF to go to the front and fight'.

7. Siam fought in World War 1 alongside Allied forces.

8. To stop a German V1 rocket, an Allied fighter pilot would fly alongside the rocket and use the airflow over their plane's wing to raise one wing of the V1. Sliding their wingtip to within 6in of the lower surface of the V1's wing caused the V1 to tip & send it into an out-of-control dive.

9. The Abbasid Caliphate fought alongside their Tibetan allies against the Chinese Tang Dynasty.

10. German soldiers fought alongside the Allies to defend an Austrian castle.