How Italy Hunted and Executed Its Own Dictator

In April 1945, as World War II drew to a close, Benito Mussolini's fascist

grip on Italy crumbled. Desperate, he and his mistress,

Claretta Petacci, attempted to flee Italy, hidden within a German convoy.

But Italian partisans intercepted them near Lake Como, capturing Mussolini and ending his escape.

On April 28th, 1945, Mussolini, alongside Petacci, faced execution by

the very people he once ruled. Their public display in Milan became a powerful,

grim symbol of the dictator's ultimate, ignominious fall.