26th July 1943
Click to Read
9th September 1943
Click to Read
Benito Mussolini had been politically insecure since the war in North Africa had started to turn against the Axis powers in late 1942. Unrest at home with strikes, inflated food prices and an unwelcome German army presence along with the Allied invasion of Sicily in July 1943 led to the Dictator 'resigning' i.e. being called to the King's palace and told he was being replaced and then arrested.
Mussolini's replacement, Marshal Pietro Bagdoglio negotiated an armistice with the Allies and the surrender was announced on the 8th September, the day Allied troops landed on mainland Italy. The Italian government declared War on Germany on the 13th but the Italian Army didn't actually fight the Germans who were still occuping a large part of the country. It took the Allies until April 1945 to clear the Germans out.
No comments:
Post a Comment