Search results
Gran Sasso raid
- During World War II, the Gran Sasso raid (codenamed Unternehmen Eiche, German pronunciation: [ʊntɐˌneːmən ˈaɪ̯çə] ⓘ, literally "Operation Oak", by the German military) on 12 September 1943 was a successful operation by German paratroopers and Waffen-SS commandos to rescue the deposed Fascist dictator Benito Mussolini from custody in the Gran Sasso d'Italia massif.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gran_Sasso_raid
People also ask
How did Hitler rescue Mussolini?
How did Otto Skorzeny rescue Benito Mussolini from Italy?
Who rescued Mussolini in WW2?
Why did Hitler give SS Skorzeny a mission to rescue Mussolini?
Why did Mussolini rescue Il Duce?
Why did Mussolini rescue his old friend?
On 12 September 1943, Skorzeny and 16 SS troopers joined the Fallschirmjäger to rescue Mussolini in a high-risk glider mission. Ten DFS 230 gliders, each carrying nine soldiers and a pilot, towed by Henschel Hs 126 planes started between 13:05 and 13:10 from the Pratica di Mare Air Base , near Rome.
Furious and fearful of the implications of a potential alliance between the Allies and what he presumed would now be a hostile Italy, Hitler decided the only course of action was to annex former Italian territory and overseas possessions and rescue his fellow dictator from captivity.
After weeks of dime-thriller spy work he located Mussolini in a remote hotel on the 5,560-ft. peak of the Gran Sasso in the Abruzzo Mountains northeast of Rome. He led an assault which reached the hotel by crashlanding gliders against the mountainside.
Aug 1, 2021 · The operation, known as “Operation Oak,” was personally ordered by Adolf Hitler, who was eager to save his ally from captivity and restore him to power in Italy. The story of the rescue began in July 1943, when Mussolini was ousted from power and placed under arrest by the Italian government.
Jun 5, 2020 · The rear door opened—to reveal a squad of police armed with submachine guns. At gunpoint, the now former Italian dictator was shoved inside. The ambulance drove off, its destination a secret, as was Mussolini’s fate. Back in the present, Skorzeny listened as the Führer grew more animated.
Aug 1, 2024 · In late August of 1943, Mussolini was moved to the Hotel Campo Imperatore in Italy’s mountainous Gran Sasso region. Previously, the deposed dictator had been moved from one island to another to keep him isolated from potentially loyal fascists who might try to rescue him.
During the Gran Sasso Raid (also called Operation Eiche), Otto Skorzeny led a daring mission to rescue Benito Mussolini from Italy. When news of Benito Mussolini’s removal from power in Italy reached Adolf Hitler in far-off Berlin, the Nazi Fuhrer flew into a rage.
