Mussolini Executed

IF YOU ENJOYED THIS CONTENT PLEASE SUBSCRIBE, LIKE, AND SHARE THIS PAGE SO THAT WE MAY CONTINUE TO GROW AND CREATE MORE ENGAGING CONTENT In this week in military history, we explore the death of Benito Mussolini, otherwise known as Il Duce, the fascist leader of Italy during World War II. Benito Mussolini was born on July 29, 1883 in north central Italy. In 1902 he moved to Switzerland to find work and became involved in socialist politics. When he returned to Italy in 1904, it was as a journalist for a socialist press. Mussolini was drafted into the Italian Army in 1915 and served during World War I. After the war, he organized disgruntled veterans into a political force known as the Black Shirts. These became the military arm of a new political party he called “Fascist.” In 1921, his Party was asked to join a coalition government of Italy. After gradually dismantling the Italian government, Mussolini named himself the leader or “Il Duce” and attempted to make Italy a great power again. A charismatic leader, Mussolini allied with Germany during World War II, and with Japan, the three became the Axis powers. As the war progressed, Italy lost ground to the Americans and British who were working their way north with the aid of the Italian resistance. Mussolini hoped to evade capture by the Americans. On April 25, 1945, with his girlfriend Clara Petracci and a small convoy, Benito Mussolini headed north towards Lake Como which sat on the border with neutral Switzerland. Recognized by members of the Italian resistance, they were captured and brought to Giulino de Mezzegra, a small town near Lake Como, for execution. After death by machine gun fire on April 28, 1945, the couple were hung upside down in a public display. Mussolini’s death served as a warning to the Axis powers that the end of the war was nearing. Join us next time for another segment of This Week in Military History with the Pritzker Military Museum & Library!