Death Benito Mussolini

cross marking place in mezzegra mussolini shot




american newsreel coverage of death of mussolini in 1945

on 25 april 1945, allied troops advancing northern italy , collapse of salò republic imminent. mussolini , mistress clara petacci set out switzerland, intending board plane , escape spain. 2 days later on 27 april, stopped near village of dongo (lake como) communist partisans valerio , bellini, , identified political commissar of partisans 52nd garibaldi brigade, urbano lazzaro. during time clara s brother posed spanish consul. after several unsuccessful attempts take them como brought mezzegra. spent last night in house of de maria family.

the next day, mussolini , petacci both summarily shot, along of members of 15-man train, ministers , officials of italian social republic. shootings took place in small village of giulino di mezzegra , conducted partisan leader used nom de guerre of colonnello valerio. real identity unknown, conventionally thought have been walter audisio, claimed have carried out execution, though partisan controversially alleged colonnello valerio luigi longo, subsequently leading communist politician in post-war italy. mussolini killed 2 days before hitler , eva braun committed suicide.

mussolini s corpse

on 29 april 1945, bodies of mussolini, petacci , other executed fascists loaded van , moved south milan. @ 3:00 a.m., corpses dumped on ground in old piazzale loreto. piazza had been renamed piazza quindici martiri in honor of fifteen anti-fascists executed there.

the corpse of mussolini (second left) next petacci (middle) , other executed fascists in piazzale loreto, milan, 1945

after being kicked , spat upon, bodies hung upside down roof of esso gas station. bodies stoned below civilians. done both discourage fascists continuing fight, , act of revenge hanging of many partisans in same place axis authorities. corpse of deposed leader subject ridicule , abuse. fascist loyalist achille starace captured , sentenced death , taken piazzale loreto , shown body of mussolini. starace, once said of mussolini god, saluted left of leader before shot. body of starace subsequently hung next of mussolini.

after death , display of corpse in milan, mussolini buried in unmarked grave in musocco cemetery, north of city. on easter sunday 1946, body located , dug domenico leccisi , 2 other neo-fascists.

on loose months—and cause of great anxiety new italian democracy—mussolini s body recaptured in august, hidden in small trunk @ certosa di pavia, outside milan. 2 fransciscan brothers subsequently charged concealing corpse, though discovered on further investigation had been on move. unsure do, authorities held remains in kind of political limbo ten years, before agreeing allow them re-interred @ predappio in romagna, birthplace. adone zoli, then-current prime minister, contacted donna rachele, dictator s widow, tell returning remains, needed support of far-right in parliament, including leccisi himself. in predappio dictator buried in crypt (the posthumous honor granted mussolini). tomb flanked marble fasces, , large idealized marble bust of him above tomb.