The Rescue of Benito Mussolini

Once considered a living God following his rise to power in 1922, fascist dictator Benito Mussolini suffered a reversal of fortune after his failure to conquer Greece without German assistance combined with his humiliating campaigns in North and East Africa, earning the nickname Sawdust Caesar by the American press. His plight worsened after the Allies’ landings in Sicily in July of 1943, leading to a no confidence vote by the Grand Council, which led to his ousting as Prime Minister by King Victor Emmanuel, who installed Marshal Pietro Badoglio in his place. Days later, Badoglio entered secret negotiations with General Eisenhower to switch Italian allegiance to the Allied side.

An Order from Hitler

The betrayal brought a harsh response from German forces, who swept into Italy to control as much of the country as possible, forcing the King and Badoglio to flee to the Allies in the south, at the same time leading Hitler to order Mussolini’s rescue, so that the deposed dictator could rule over a small puppet government in the north of Italy. While Mussolini’s whereabouts was difficult for German intelligence to pinpoint at first, they eventually located him at the remote mountain resort of Grand Sasso, while his wife and several children were located under house arrest in a medieval castle at Mussolini’s birthplace of Pradappio. Under the leadership of SS Hauptsturmführer Otto Skorzeni, a plan was soon agreed upon that would witness simultaneous rescues for Benito and his family. When joint operations began on September 12th, 1943, ten DFS 230 gliders were towed aloft by Henschel HS 126 aircraft, with all gliders landing successfully near the resort after a commando team locked down the cable car station.

Instant Surrender

When Skorzeni and his SS Commandos stormed the hotel, all 200 carabinieri guarding Mussolini quickly surrendered, while an even more instantaneous capitulation took place at the castle in Pradappio. The following day, Mussolini was flown to Hitler’s Eastern Front headquarters, the Wolf’s Lair, receiving a warm welcome from the Führer, while the film footage from both raids was quickly edited into an enormously successful propaganda piece for a war weary German public. Mussolini’s luck would turn yet again in 1945, when he and his mistress were captured by Italian partisans as they attempted to flee Italy for the safety of Germany. After their unceremonious executions, their bodies were publicly displayed in Milan, making the rescue of Benito Mussolini, a short-lived reprieve for a ruthless dictator.