On 12th September 1943, one of the most daring rescue missions of World War II unfolded in the heart of the Italian mountains. The Gran Sasso raid, also known as “Operation Eiche” (Operation Oak), saw German forces launch a high-risk mission to rescue the deposed Italian dictator Benito Mussolini from captivity.
Following Mussolini’s removal from power in July 1943 by King Victor Emmanuel III, Italy found itself in turmoil. Mussolini, once the head of the Italian government and Hitler’s key ally, was arrested and moved to various secure locations to prevent his rescue. Eventually, he was taken to the Hotel Campo Imperatore, a remote and isolated resort situated atop the Gran Sasso massif in the Abruzzo region. Surrounded by rugged mountains and accessible only by a single cable car, it was considered an impregnable location.
Hitler, however, was determined to restore Mussolini to power to maintain Axis influence in Italy. On learning Mussolini’s location, he entrusted the mission to Otto Skorzeny, a charismatic and ambitious SS officer known for his unconventional methods. Skorzeny, alongside a contingent of German paratroopers and commandos, was tasked with a seemingly impossible mission: to free Mussolini from his mountain prison without sparking a wider conflict with Italian forces.
The audacious Gran Sasso raid
The plan for the raid was audacious. On 12th September, a squadron of German gliders filled with SS troopers and soldiers descended from the skies, landing just outside the hotel.
Meanwhile, two paratrooper companies, led by Major Harald Mors, launched a ground assault on the valley station of the funicular railway leading to Campo Imperatore. This action, which severed all telephone lines, was crucial for the success of the raid. Unfortunately, it also resulted in the only two casualties of the operation. Italian forestry guard Pasqualino Vitocco was killed while trying to alert the garrison about the advancing German troops, and carabiniere Giovanni Natale lost his life while preparing to open fire on the attackers.
The German commandos, supported by a small unit of Italian Fascists still loyal to Mussolini, swiftly overpowered the surprised Italian guards. Remarkably, the operation was executed without a single shot being fired. Within minutes, Mussolini was brought outside, dazed but unharmed.
A new challenge awaited the rescuers. The small airfield was too short for a conventional aircraft to land safely. However, a light Fieseler Fi 156 Storch aircraft, piloted by Luftwaffe officer Gerlach, managed to land on the narrow mountain slope. Despite the dangerous terrain, Gerlach successfully took off with Mussolini aboard, flying him to safety in Germany.
German propaganda victory
The Gran Sasso raid was a significant propaganda victory for the Nazis. Mussolini’s dramatic rescue was broadcast worldwide, boosting Axis morale and demonstrating the reach of German military power. Mussolini was promptly installed as the head of a new Fascist government, the Italian Social Republic, a puppet state under German control in Northern Italy. This development allowed the Germans to maintain a foothold in Italy and resist the advancing Allied forces for several more months.
However, the success of the operation did little to change the course of the war. While Mussolini was back in power, his influence was severely diminished. The Italian Social Republic struggled to assert itself, and many Italians viewed Mussolini’s return as the beginning of a German occupation. Guerrilla warfare and resistance movements grew, particularly in the southern regions, contributing to the eventual downfall of Fascist control in Italy.
Operation Eiche has been studied extensively in military circles for its innovative use of airborne tactics and psychological warfare. It remains one of the most remarkable special operations of World War II, showcasing the lengths to which Nazi Germany was willing to go to maintain its influence over its allies. The Gran Sasso raid also highlighted the fragility of Italy’s position in the war, torn between the old Fascist regime and the new realities of a country under occupation and internal division.
Recommended book
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Mussolini was born on a Sunday afternoon in 1883 in a village in central Italy. On a Saturday afternoon in 1945 he was shot by Communist partisans on the shores of Lake Como. In the sixty-two years in between those two fateful afternoons Mussolini lived one of the most dramatic lives in modern history.
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