Operation Oak: The Secret Mission to Rescue Italy’s Fallen Dictator

A surprising tale of loyalty between two of history’s worst characters

(Public domain)

On the evening of July 25th, 1943, Benito Mussolini met with King Victor Emmanuel III at the Villa Savoia in Rome. It was during the peak of World War II, and Italy was not doing well. The Allies were planning a grand invasion of the country, and the Germans had taken a harsher stance and more direct control over Italy as a whole. The people were uneasy and the government knew that in either case, Italy was unlikely to be able to stand much longer.

In a bid to save Italy, the king and the Grand Council of Fascism had decided that Mussolini had to be deposed. Italy wanted a way out of the war, and Mussolini stood in their way of breaking the Pact of Steel with the mercurial and vengeful Adolf Hitler.

During the brief meeting, the king informed Mussolini that the country was forging a new government and that his time was through. Marshal Badoglio was going to take Mussolini’s place as the head of the new government. The king assured him that this was not a coup and that Mussolini had nothing to fear. Mussolini was then escorted out of the villa and placed into the back of a nondescript ambulance with frosted windows.