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The SS rescued Benito Mussolini from this Italian ski resort when he was held prisoner there.
The inaccessibility of Hotel Campo Imperatore, a ski resort complex high up in the Gran Sasso mountains, made it an ideal spot for placing the Italian Fascist leader Benito Mussolini under house arrest in August, 1943. But even the remote location didn’t deter the SS from carrying out a daring mission to rescue the imprisoned dictator. A few weeks earlier, Mussolini had been ousted from power and swiftly arrested after a no-confidence motion was passed because of Italy’s mounting losses in World War II. His exact location was unknown as he was shifted from place to place, all the while under arrest. An operation codenamed Eiche (“Oak”) was put in motion by Adolf Hitler, who was keen to find his friend and ally and restore him to power.
