Chapter 18 03. Rescue Mussolini

Although the Sicily landing campaign failed to wipe out a large number of German forces, it achieved the political goal of forcing Italy to withdraw from the war.Mussolini was doomed. The anti-Mussolini forces in Italy had long been undercurrents, and after the Sicily landing battle, they finally broke out. On July 13, 1943, Mussolini received a request for a meeting of the Supreme Council of the Fascist Party.I don't know if there is a premonition, Mussolini has been in a bad mood during this time, and he reluctantly agreed to hold a meeting on the afternoon of July 24. At the Supreme Council meeting held on July 24, Mussolini had a heated debate with the opposition.Eventually, the meeting passed a motion of no confidence in Mussolini.

In the early morning of July 25, Mussolini went to the office as usual, as if nothing had happened.In the afternoon, Mussolini went to see King Emmanuel as planned.Mussolini's wife had a bad feeling and advised him not to go, but Mussolini insisted on entering the palace and said confidently: "The king has trusted me for 20 years, and there will be no danger." On this day, the king was uncharacteristically wearing the uniform of an Italian marshal, and he also deployed police in the palace.It was the first time Mussolini saw this posture, and he felt a little uneasy.When talking with the king, the king said to him: "Now the internal and external situation is grim, and the morale of the army is low. The Supreme Council has decided to relieve you. Now the Italian people hate you, and I have become your only supporter. I am worried about your death." Be safe, let me protect you!"

After hearing this, Mussolini turned pale, stunned, and muttered: "It's all over!" After only a few minutes of the interview, Mussolini walked out of the palace and walked towards his car.At this time, the captain of the palace guard came to him and said: "His Majesty the King ordered me to protect you, please follow me." After speaking, he took him into an ambulance and drove at full speed to the gendarmerie camp. On that day, rumors abounded in Rome. Some said that Mussolini had been taken to Germany, and some said that he had been assassinated.At 10:45 in the evening, Radio Rome issued a broadcast to the whole country, claiming that "the king has approved the resignation of the head of the government, His Excellency Mussolini, and appointed Marshal Badoglio to succeed him."

The news spread all over Italy immediately, and Italians took to the streets, shouting: "The war is over!" "Fascism is dead!" Marshal Badoglio, who took over, ordered Mussolini to be imprisoned in secret, and sent people to negotiate secretly with the allies in Sicily. On September 3, 1943, representatives of Italy and the Allies secretly signed an armistice agreement.In the early morning of the same day, Montgomery's British Eighth Army crossed the Strait of Messina from Sicily, landed in mainland Italy, and quickly advanced to the south. On September 8, the British broadcast the official proclamation of Italy's surrender.

After hearing the news, the already alert German army immediately disarmed 800,000 Italian troops, arrested a large number of Italian officers, and occupied Rome on September 10, taking control of mainland Italy as far south as Naples.At this time, the King of Italy, Bardolio and others had fled to the Allied-occupied area in southern Italy by submarine. On October 13, the Badoglio government officially announced its withdrawal from the Axis group and declared war on Germany.At the same time, the governments of Britain, the United States, and the Soviet Union also issued a declaration recognizing Italy as an ally.

During the entire World War II, the Italian army could be said to have been defeated like a mountain, and it did nothing but surrender as an organic system.The German army fighting alone fought vigorously. The most amazing thing is that the Germans rescued Mussolini who was under strict guard under almost impossible circumstances. It cannot but be said to have created a miracle. . The news of Mussolini's resignation spread to Berlin, and Hitler was very angry. On the one hand, it was because Italy's defection was equivalent to tearing a big gap in the belly of the German camp; on the other hand, it was because Hitler could not tolerate his comrades being taken refuge He believed that as long as Mussolini was rescued, Mussolini could regain power in Italy and continue to serve Nazi Germany.

In the middle of the night of July 25, 1943, Skorzeny, the leader of the German SS special forces and known as the "No. 1 villain in Europe", was ordered to rush to the headquarters of the head of state.Skorzeny was summoned by Hitler along with five other officers.As soon as Hitler came in, he asked them: "Which of you is familiar with Italy?" Only Skorzeny said: "I am familiar with it. I have been to Italy twice and rode a motorcycle all the way to Naples." Hitler nodded and said, "Let me ask you one more question. What do you think of the Italians? What do you think of the Italians?"

The officers who were summoned answered one by one according to their ranks. Some said that Italy was a friend of the Axis powers, some said that Italy was a partner against the Comintern, and some said that the Italians were their own people.Skorzeny replied: "I am Austrian!" This sentence made Hitler very happy.why?Because Hitler was also an Austrian, the two felt the same way about Italy's seizure of the Austrian territory of South Tyrol after World War I.Hearing this, Hitler immediately set his eyes on the big man from Vienna (Skorzeny was over 1.9 meters tall).Hitler stared at him and said, "Captain Skorzeny stays, the others can go."

When they were alone in the room, Hitler told Skorzeny about the coup that had just taken place in Italy and ordered him to plan "Operation Oak" to rescue Mussolini.Hitler told Skorzeny that the leader of the Italians must be rescued. Mussolini is a treasure, and Badolio is unreliable. He will definitely engage in behind-the-scenes deals with the Allies. We must control Mussolini. It is of great benefit to stabilize the situation on the southern front.This task is entrusted to you, can you do it? As soon as Skorzeny rubbed his heels, he stood at attention and said that there was no problem, please rest assured the head of state.Hitler said that I will inform the paratroopers to cooperate with you in completing the mission and provide soldiers, aircraft and everything you need at any time.

The next day, Skorzeny flew to Rome. To rescue Mussolini, you first need to know where he is being held.Mussolini came out of the palace, was locked up in the gendarmerie barracks in Via Serra, stayed only an hour, and was transferred to the police quarters in Via Legnano, where the doctor examined him and found the old boy His pulse was disturbed, his face was pale, and he didn't even eat a bite of dinner. Mussolini didn't fall asleep until 11 o'clock at night.I just fell asleep for two hours, and was woken up again. Someone sent Mussolini a message from Marshal Badoglio, saying that there are rumors that you are going to be assassinated, and the government is only detaining you for your personal safety. You, now allow you to go where you want to go.

After thinking for a while, Mussolini said four points: first, I want to return to my hometown; second, I promise to cooperate with Marshal Badoglio as much as possible; He will still serve the king in the future. However, when Badolio received Mussolini's reply, he had changed his mind.Because at this time, Badolio had already begun to contact the allies to demand a truce, and one of the conditions for the truce proposed by the allies was to arrest Mussolini.Bardolio told Mussolini that you cannot go back to your hometown, your hometown is not safe, and the secret order transferred Mussolini to an island west of Naples, where there was a prison for political prisoners. Two or three days after Skorzeny arrived in Rome, his deputy also arrived with some members of the special forces, ready to start the rescue work.However, there were various rumors about Mussolini circulating in Rome at that time, one said he was in heaven, the other said he had died.Skorzeny only asked where Mussolini was taken by ambulance after he was taken out of the palace, but he did not know the exact location. At that time, the Germans believed that even if Mussolini was imprisoned, the Italians would still abide by the agreement of the Axis allies and continue to fight against the allies, including Skorzeny. It doesn't matter who.Therefore, after Skorzeny first arrived in Rome, he was not so concerned about looking for Mussolini, he was relaxed, and he did not take extraordinary measures.As a result, the rescue force spent three weeks in Rome without any clues. In the end, even Himmler, the head of the SS, said helplessly that if he wanted to find Mussolini, he could only go to fortune-telling. Just when the Germans were about to despair, Skorzeny got a piece of useful information from a fruit merchant he knew before. The fruit merchant lived in a small town next to the Bay of Gaeta. One day he said that there was a big landowner in this place. For three weeks, a pair of lovers had no date.When Skorzeny heard this, a flash of light came to his mind—the quality of a spy is not possessed by ordinary people. From an inadvertent sentence, he immediately judged that a big man was imprisoned on the island. A few days later, Skorzeny obtained verified information from an Italian naval officer who had no words.The officer said, I saw with my own eyes that the submarine I was serving carried Mussolini to Poncha Island. As soon as these were reported, Skorzeny received orders from Hitler: rescue the imprisoned. Later, Skorzeny recalled that this task took me 24 hours. How could Mussolini be rescued under the noses of the Italian guards?While worrying, the superior said that there was no need to save him, because the new intelligence said that Mussolini was no longer on Pontcha Island.The Italian government was afraid that the Germans would save Mussolini, so they played hide-and-seek and transferred him to Sardinia. He was first imprisoned in a small village on Sardinia, and then moved to a place 5 kilometers away from Sardinia. , Maddalena Island, which is heavily guarded, was imprisoned in a mansion called "Cologne Villa" on the island. In order to verify the information, Skorzner took people to Sardinia disguised as crew members, and then borrowed a motorboat from the German Navy to investigate on Maddalena Island.Skorzeny's men learned that Mussolini was on the island from the old farmer who came to Maddalena to deliver fruit every day.But this Cologne mountain villa is heavily guarded by ground troops, so Skorzeny made a plan to avoid frontal attacks.The Germans are the best at this trick. In order to implement this plan, Skorzeny returned to Germany, gathered his team members, and conducted aerial reconnaissance on Maddalena Island. As a result, their plane was intercepted by British patrol fighter jets over Sardinia.Although escaped from birth, the plane's engine stopped and it made an emergency landing at sea.Although all those on board survived, Skorzeny suffered three broken ribs and was rescued by an Italian warship.The funniest thing is that this Italian warship was sent by the Italian government to patrol the sea to protect Mussolini, and finally rescued the opponent. Returning to Berlin with three broken ribs, Skorzeny presented Hitler with a daring rescue plan: a naval assault on the port of Maddalena.The plan is to first send a German warship to visit Maddalena Island as a courtesy, and then send a high-speed minesweeper full of special forces to anchor in the port. With the support of naval guns, let the team rush to Cologne Villa.Skorzeny was sure that the Italian army guarding here would be frightened by the sudden German attack and give up resistance.The Germans know very well what kind of allies they have. You are my defeated opponent's defeated opponent's defeated opponent's subordinate's defeated opponent's subordinate, so when I beat you, it is like Zhang Fei eating bean sprouts. Therefore, Hitler immediately approved Skorzeny's risky action, but warned him that Italy is still our buddy, and from a national perspective, Italy's sovereignty cannot be violated.If you succeed in this operation, you will not be rewarded for your meritorious service; if you are going to fail, you will bear all the responsibilities and no excuses are allowed, and I will remove you from your post. Skorzeny replied, no problem. A few days later, several German speedboats on normal patrols approached the port of Maddalena Island. There were lazy German sailors outside the cabins, but there were heavily armed German commandos hiding in the cabins.In order to be safe, Skorzeny, whose ribs have not yet grown, took people ashore to find out the truth. This day is August 28.Skorzeny met a Mussolini guard and asked him: "I heard that Mussolini is dead, isn't it?" I also saw him, he seems to have gone somewhere in a white plane." Hearing this sentence, Skorzeny felt like a treasure.Then in the tavern near the pier, Skorzeny got an Italian officer he had just met drunk. The officer pointed out the window and said: "Mussolini is locked up in the red mansion halfway up the mountain." Skorzeny was very happy at this time, and the blood was rushing to his head, but he quickly backed away, because the drunk went on to say: "Three hours ago, a Navy plane picked him up .” Skorzeny was suddenly poured cold water again, experienced the loss from heaven to hell, was greatly disappointed, the plan fell through again, and Mussolini didn't know where he was. Soon, German intelligence agents intercepted a telegram from the Italian Ministry of the Interior.The telegram said that security work was in place on the Gran Sasso mountain.The telegram was signed by Guilli, the commander of the Italian gendarmerie responsible for Mussolini's security.This telegram is enough to prove that Mussolini was transferred to Gran Sasso. The Gran Sasso is 160 kilometers northeast of Rome and is the highest peak of the Apennines.On the mountainside of Gran Sasso at an altitude of 1,800 meters, there is a restaurant where Mussolini was locked up.The location of this hotel is amazing. It is a holy place for mountaineering enthusiasts. The front is full of cliffs, and only one side is connected to the village at the foot of the mountain by a cable car.Although there is a path up the mountain, it is rugged and steep, and most people take the cable car to this hotel. It should be said that the Italians took great pains to imprison Mussolini in such a cliff hotel where one man guards the gate and no one can open it. On September 10, Skorzeny took a plane to reconnaissance the terrain near the hotel and the defense situation of the Italian army. He found that all the paths up the mountain had been blocked by the Italian army. ensure.Even if it succeeded, it is estimated that Mussolini would have been beaten into a sieve by random guns. At the same time, Skorzeny discovered a small, overgrown, triangular lot next to the restaurant, which was a small abandoned shooting range.He thinks this can be used as a good airborne field, but because of the strong wind on the high mountain, it is difficult for the paratroopers to ensure the accuracy of the landing point. Once the wind blows, they don't know where they will land. How to do it?Skorzeny came up with a plan to rescue Mussolini with a glider.This plan is very risky, so before the operation, Skorzeny called the team members together and said: "This operation is full of dangers, and you may die at any time. If any of you do not want to participate, you can leave. I will never take this action." I will not despise you for making any record of this matter. I will personally participate and direct this operation, and those of you who are willing to participate will take a step forward." The group of people brought by Scholz is indeed a group of desperadoes, and everyone has taken a step forward.Skorzeny said good buddy and was very happy. "Operation Oak" was supposed to start at dawn on September 12, but it was delayed for several hours because of the late arrival of the glider from France. At 10 am, the assault force arrived at the air base on the southern outskirts of Rome.The delay this time is right, because in this way, it will be noon when we arrive at the Gran Sasso Mountain where Mussolini is held. At noon, all Italians are taking a nap seriously, which will reduce the resistance encountered. Skorzeny took advantage of this time to send an adjutant to Rome to invite General Soletti, who had always had a good impression of the German army, and let this senior Italian official appear at the hotel with the attacking troops, which would help persuade the defenders to give up. resistance.There are different opinions on whether General Soletti participated in this operation voluntarily. Some sources say he is willing to act as an intermediary, while others say he was held hostage.Like it or not, he went anyway. At 11 am, the first pair of gliders from France arrived at the airport.When the tractor was filled with fuel and the glider took off, it was 13:05.In the lead tractor No. 1, the intelligence officer Captain Longett sat behind the driver.Langet had been on aerial reconnaissance with Skorzeny four days earlier, so he was the only one of the tug crew who had actually seen the landing zone.Unfortunately, the two planes towing gliders No. 1 and No. 2 got lost in the thick fog and clouds and had to turn back halfway. In this way, the No. 3 glider that Skorzeny and Soletti took became the pilot aircraft.The plane was flying in dense clouds, the glider had poor vision, and there was no air conditioning. General Soletti and several team members were airsick.Skorzeny pulled out his knife decisively and cut a few holes in the canvas fuselage of the glider. Cool air was blown into the cabin, and everyone was still awake.Skorzeny also observes the ground through this breach and informs the pilot of the correct course from time to time. An hour later, the fleet arrived at the scheduled area.Skorzeny ordered the glider to be decoupled from the tractor, and the 8 glider descended from an altitude of 3,600 meters, and the troops rushed to their respective targets in two ways.When Skorzeny's plane was about to land, the driver discovered that the pre-selected triangular land was not only covered with stones, but also had a steeper slope than previously estimated.The unevenness of the ground means that the landing is very dangerous, so the pilot of aircraft No. 3 was a little at a loss.At this time, Skorzeny, who was behind the driver, shouted: "Land down quickly, land as close as possible to the hotel!" The pilot recalled afterwards: "The little black spot in my field of vision quickly turned into a big building. I looked out, hoping to see the enemy's activities, but at first everything was calm. When we flew to the hotel About 150 meters above, the soldiers in the hotel rushed out like ants whose nest had been stabbed. But they didn't look hostile, just stood there dumbfounded and watched the group of attackers descending from the sky. I put the heavy glider Turn sharply to the left and turn on the retro rocket again. This time the glider quickly lowered its altitude and the nose fell towards the hotel. When the barbed wire wrapped around the landing skid was cut by the broken stones on the ground, the entire glider It vibrated violently and stopped only 40 meters away from the steps of the hotel gate." Already fully armed, Skorzeny led his team members out of the glider and quickly subdued the Italian troops around the hotel.This was easy to do, because the Italian soldiers had already been subdued without restraint.Then, Skorzeny pushed General Soletti and rushed towards the hotel. At this time, Skorzeny saw Mussolini's pale face appearing next to a window on the second floor, and he hurriedly shouted to Mussolini in Italian: "Back back! Get out of the window!" The livid General Soletti shouted to the Italian soldiers: "Don't shoot, we don't need blood!" Some Italian soldiers put down their weapons and stood still, and more scattered and fled into the mountains, just like their regular performance in every battle. By the time the subsequent glider landed one after another, the people on the glider in Skorzeny had already rushed into the hotel with a submachine gun.They first subdued the radio operator in the hotel, and then smashed the radio communication equipment with gun butts. The Italian soldiers in the restaurant were already in a mess, and when more commandos rushed into the restaurant, the Italian soldiers had already raised their hands and surrendered.Then, Skorzeny went straight to the room where Mussolini was held.Under Mussolini's persuasion, the two Italian officers in charge of guarding him in the room also raised their hands and surrendered. The whole operation was very fast. It took only 4 minutes from the first glider landing to controlling the hotel, and without encountering any resistance, Mussolini was rescued without firing a single shot.It can be said that it was the Italians who achieved the miracle of Skorzeny. If the guards were replaced by the army of any country, Skorzeny would not be able to retreat like this. Only Italians can achieve this miracle of their opponents. .Skorzeny prepared with great fanfare for so many days, but he didn't even have a chance to shoot, and a high-altitude landing was successful. The rescued Mussolini hugged Skorzeny tightly, choked up and said: "I knew my iron buddy Hitler would not abandon me!" Gliders No. 6 and No. 7 of the commando had just landed after Mussolini was rescued.The No. 8 aircraft that finally landed crashed on the raised hillside outside the hotel. All the members were injured, but none of them died. This was the only loss of the commandos in this operation. After Mussolini was rescued, the next thing was to transport him safely away.Although the cable car was occupied by the Germans, there were a large number of Italian troops defending on the opposite side of the valley, so it was impossible to take the cable car down the mountain.As a backup plan, Skorzeny had arranged for a plane to take Mussolini away before the operation, but the plane was damaged when it landed, and the fuel on board leaked.Up to now, all hopes are pinned on a small reconnaissance plane that is circling over the hotel for reconnaissance. This reconnaissance plane was specially sent by General Student, who carried out "Operation Oak Tree" with Skorzeny, to observe the rescue operation. The pilot was German ace pilot Gerlach, who was also Student's adjutant and private driver.When Student heard the news of Skorzeny's success, he was still dubious, so he asked Gerlach to scout at low altitude and find a way to help the commando.After receiving the order, Gerlach lowered his flight altitude and circled over the hills, preparing to land. Skorzeny commanded the commandos and the Italian soldiers who surrendered—the Italian soldiers are model prisoners of war, you let go east and never go west, let you sit and never lie down—pushed the glider behind the hotel aside, roughly The ground was trimmed to prepare for the landing of the reconnaissance plane. After the plane landed, everyone rushed up to push the light plane, which can only carry two people, to the scheduled take-off position.At this time, Skorzeny insisted on leaving by plane with Mussolini, he was afraid that others would take his credit. Captain Gerlach flatly refused, stop talking nonsense, this plane can only transport two people, Mussolini weighs 90 kg, and you also weigh 90 kg, can my plane still fly if you two get on it?But Skorzeny said: "I must personally escort Mussolini to safety, this is the order of the head of state." Gerlach couldn't figure out whether this was a false edict from Skorzeny, so he had to compromise.So, 12 commandos stood at the tail of the plane and held the plane tightly, allowing the engine to run at high speed until Gerlach raised his arm to indicate that it was ready to take off. Sliding forward, almost hit a big rock.Fortunately, Gerlach was an ace pilot with rich experience. Under his control, the plane finally swayed and glides into the air. After circling over the hotel for a while, it flew to the airport on the outskirts of Rome. After the reconnaissance plane landed safely, Skorzeny escorted Mussolini into another plane and flew to Vienna.The "Operation Oak Tree" that rescued Mussolini was completed.