Italian Social Republic ("Salò Republic") Benito Mussolini

italian social republic (rsi) of 1943 in yellow , green. green areas german military operational zones under direct german administration.

two months after mussolini had been dismissed , arrested, rescued prison @ hotel campo imperatore in gran sasso raid on 12 september 1943 special fallschirmjäger (paratroopers) unit , waffen-ss commandos led major otto-harald mors; otto skorzeny present. rescue saved mussolini being turned on allies, per armistice. hitler had made plans arrest king, crown prince umberto, badoglio, , rest of government , restore mussolini power in rome, government s escape south foiled plans.

three days following rescue in gran sasso raid, mussolini taken germany meeting hitler in rastenburg @ east prussian headquarters. despite public professions of support, hitler shocked mussolini s disheveled , haggard appearance unwillingness go after men in rome overthrew him. feeling had blunt edges of nazi repression, mussolini agreed set new regime, italian social republic (italian: repubblica sociale italiana, rsi), informally known salò republic because of administration town of salò settled 11 days after rescue germans. mussolini s new regime faced numerous territorial losses: in addition losing italian lands held allies , badoglio s government, provinces of bolzano, belluno , trento placed under german administration in operational zone of alpine foothills, while provinces of udine, gorizia, trieste, pola (now pula), fiume (now rijeka) , ljubljana (lubiana in italian) incorporated german operational zone of adriatic littoral.

mussolini inspecting fortifications, 1944

in addition, german army occupied dalmatian provinces of split (spalato) , kotor (cattaro), subsequently annexed croatian fascist regime. italy s gains in greece , albania lost germany, exception of italian aegean islands, remained nominally under rsi rule. mussolini opposed territorial reductions of italian state , told associates:

i not here renounce square meter of state territory. go war this. , rebel against this. italian flag flew, italian flag return. , has not been lowered, here, no 1 have lowered. have said these things führer.

a rain-soaked benito mussolini reviewing adolescent soldiers in northern italy, late 1944.

for year , half, mussolini lived in gargnano on lake garda in lombardy. although insisted in public in full control, knew little more puppet ruler under protection of german liberators—for intents , purposes, gauleiter of lombardy. after yielding pressures hitler , remaining loyal fascists formed government of republic of salò, mussolini helped orchestrate series of executions of of fascist leaders had betrayed him @ last meeting of fascist grand council. 1 of executed son-in-law, galeazzo ciano. head of state , minister of foreign affairs italian social republic, mussolini used of time write memoirs. along autobiographical writings of 1928, these writings combined , published da capo press rise , fall. in interview in january 1945 madeleine mollier, few months before captured , executed italian anti-fascist partisans, stated flatly: 7 years ago, interesting person. now, little more corpse. continued:

yes, madam, finished. star has fallen. have no fight left in me. work , try, yet know farce... await end of tragedy and – strangely detached everything – not feel more actor. feel last of spectators.