The rescue of Benito Mussolini: the real story and its Swiss connection
On 12 September 1943, a German commando raid liberated deposed dictator Benito Mussolini from the hotel in the Italian mountains where he was being held. The SS claimed the credit for the momentous operation, however it was actually a German major with Swiss roots who led the mission.
Raphael Rues
Raphael Rues is a historian and specialises in Ticino and the German-fascist presence in Northern Italy.
With the benefit of 80 years of hindsight, the story of the Gran Sasso operation has changed markedly. It also has a distinct Swiss aspect to it: Major Harald Mors, the German officer who really led the operation to free Mussolini, had Swiss roots. He was the grandson of a famous politician from the canton of Vaud, grew up in Prilly, also in the canton of Vaud and attended school in Lausanne until the age of 12.
The outcome of these events was the rapid overthrow of Mussolini’s fascist regime in the summer of 1943. The military and economic situation continued to deteriorate fast. The Allies stepped up their campaign and, following a heavy bombardment of northern Italy, especially Milan and Turin, in August 1943, Sicily was entirely liberated by the end of August and Allied troops landed in southern Calabria and Salerno (Campania) at the start of September.
During this summer the Italian fascist movement melted like snow in the sun. Their members went into hiding or, in a few cases, fled to Switzerland. Following his arrest in Rome, Benito Mussolini was taken to different places, ending up in the Hotel Campo Imperatore at 2,130 metres altitude, in Gran Sasso mountain range, a remote and hard to access mountainous region in the Apennines, about 80 kilometres northeast of Rome.
Events took a tragic turn on 8 September 1943 following the announcement of Marshal Pietro Badoglio’s government of an armistice as Italy was divided into two parts. Those who were able to, followed King Viktor Emanuel III and Pietro Badoglio south to Allied protection. However, a large section of the Italian army, about 800,000 soldiers, was immediately arrested by the Germans and deported to the Third Reich or shot in some cases. Chaos reigned during these dark September days, especially in central and northern Italy, which was occupied by German troops. Badoglio’s government was evidently also in disarray as Mussolini was left behind at Gran Sasso.
‘Swiss’ Major Mors’ bold plan was shaped by the topography of the Gran Sasso massif in the Apennine mountains. Taking the cable car to the Hotel Campo Imperatore was not an option, as they would lose the element of surprise. The only alternative for the battle-hardened paratroopers was a two-pronged attack: to occupy the cable car station in the valley and approach from the air with ten military gliders.
On landing, Mors was able to take Mussolini quickly before the Italian soldiers realised what was happening. Mussolini was not exactly overjoyed at his ‘rescue’ as can be seen from the photos taken at Gran Sasso. He had grown world weary, having been deeply affected by the betrayal of his party colleagues on 25 July.
The Nazis, especially Himmler and Goebbels, presented the rescue/kidnap mission, codenamed “Operation Oak” to the media as an heroic act and gave all the credit to Otto Skorzeny, who had in fact been at best a peripheral figure. It was a classic piece of propaganda to make the SS look good in the press. Meanwhile the German paratroopers spent years trying in vain to claim credit for their part in the mission.
Propaganda documentary from September 1943 on the rescue of Benito Mussolini. Harald Mors appears in it several times. Archivio Luce / YouTube
In 1923 the Mors family moved to Berlin. In 1934, Mors decided to join the Luftwaffe at the age of 24. He rose through the ranks and was in command of a battalion of paratroopers by 1943. Besides his role in the Gran Sasso operation, Mors served on the eastern front, in Italy and Greece as well as other places. He received the German Cross in gold in recognition of his commitment and leadership qualities.
Mors served in the German Foreign Intelligence Service (Bundesnachrichtendienst). In the midst of the Algerian war of independence, he resurfaced in Switzerland. However, he could not remain incognito as he had been on the radar of the federal prosecutor since 1957 as a German “secret service agent”. It was Mors who worked with the group ‘Main Rouge’ (Red Hand) within the French terror organisation Organisation Armée Secrète (OAS) to organise attacks on German arms suppliers to the Algerian National Liberation Front, who visited Switzerland on a number of occasions and in 1960 even attempted to organise a meeting between Algerian freedom fighters and German investigators in Lausanne. He left the forces in 1965 and died in Bavaria in 2001. Mors never acquired Swiss nationality, but he kept his Swiss French accent throughout his life.
