Mussolini's End: Executed by Partisans After 1943 Rescue

After the Allied invasion of Italy (1943):

1. July 1943: King Victor Emmanuel III ousts & arrests Mussolini.
2. Sept 1943: German commandos (Operation Oak) rescue him from Gran Sasso.
3. Sept 1943 – Apr 1945: Mussolini heads Italian Social Republic (RSI) — Nazi puppet state in Salò (North Italy).
4. Apr 1945: Fleeing north with mistress Claretta Petacci, captured by communist partisans near Lake Como (27 Apr).
5. 28 Apr 1945: Executed by firing squad in Giulino di Mezzegra.
6. Bodies taken to Milan, hung upside down at Piazzale Loreto for public display.

His death symbolized fascism's collapse; Germany surrendered in Italy days later (2 May).