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Operation Oak: The Nazi Commandos Who Rescued Mussolini from an Italian Mountain Fortress
Published 5 days, 19 hours ago
Description
In September 1943, German commandos launched one of World War II's most audacious rescue operations, landing gliders on a remote Italian mountaintop to free imprisoned dictator Benito Mussolini. The mission involved Luftwaffe paratroopers, SS personnel, and Otto Skorzeny, a German officer who would later become one of Nazi Germany's most famous commandos. This episode examines Operation Oak, the extraordinary mountain assault, the deception that prevented a firefight, and how Nazi propaganda transformed a carefully coordinated military operation into the legend of one man.