|
|||
|
Gran Sasso Rescue El Duce rescued by Fallschirmjäger in Italia |
|
The Gran Sasso (Operation Eiche; German for Oak) was the rescue of Italian dictator Benito
Mussolini by Fallschirmjäger on September 1943I. It was a Fallschirmjäger operation planned by
Fallschirmjäger Major Harald Mors and approved by Fallschirmjäger General Kurt Student.
SS Captain Otto Skorzeny was selected personally by Hitler and Ernst Kaltenbrunner to carry out the mission, had been tracking Mussolini as he was moved from place to place by his captors. However operational control, logistics and planning were done by Fallschirmjäger. Skorzeny determined that Mussolini was being imprisoned at Campo Imperatore Hotel in Italy's Gran Sasso in the Apennine Mountains. Skorzeny joined the Fallschirmjäger team with a few of his SS troops and the force led by Fallschirmjäger Major Harald Mors, to rescue Mussolini. Skorzeny was viewed as a tag along participant who made false claims after the event to gain fame, while Major Mors planned and executed the operation using primarily Fallschirmjäger. Greater detail on the raid can be found on Wikipedia. Photos from the Bundesarchiv taken by Luftwaffe kriegsberichter...
|
Important Disclaimer! - This is a non-political web page dealing with the history, equipment, life and campaigns of the World War II German airborne soldier (Fallschirmjäger) and World War II reenacting. This website is contains historical information as well as reenacting and living history information. This information includes reenactment photos, historical information covering operations, equipment and photos of World War II Fallschirmjäger in action. The information is catalogued and presented to preserve a clear eyed view of military history and present to the public an accurate representation of a World War II German airborne unit. We do not tolerate or condone any form of racism, radical or extremist activities, or persons with supremacist, fascist or racist political motives or beliefs and we do not support nor glorify the reprehensible policies of the Nazi Party. We do not tolerate, support, or condone any activities of any neo-nazi party organizations, any extremist, anti-immigrant or anti-semetic organizations.