The story
On Hitler's order, Mussolini himself had been freed from Italian captivity. In September 1943, a special commando detachment led by SS master of espionage, Otto Skorzeny, had glided into the mountaintop location where Mussolini was imprisoned, scared away the local police, put the former Duce in a small plane and flew him off to Rome. From there he was taken to see Hitler.
Benito Mussolini (right) with Otto Skorzeny (next to him) and others elated over their accomplishment in liberating him.
Location: the camp were Mussolina was captured
There's more to discover
You have arrived at just one small part of Back to Normandy — a personal project dedicated to preserving stories, images, music and memories of the Second World War.
Every record is a doorway to a larger story. Explore Back to Normandy to discover more, or visit Fred Vogels' personal website to learn about the person and the projects behind it.