, General Gueri, Karl Radl (holding suitcase). British Prime Minister
Winston Churchill responded to the escape in the
House of Commons, "Knowing that
il Duce was hidden in a safe place and that the Government of Badoglio was committed to handing him over to the Allies, a daring attack, completely beyond all foresight, prevented this from happening." The operation was a propaganda dream for the Germans. They glamorized it in the pages of
Signal. The Nazis ensured film crews captured the entire operation and distributed it via
newsreel. The Germans broadcast a speech purportedly by Mussolini where he boasted, "The liberation-the enterprise was an example of the organization and resolution of the Germans which will live in history—will in the future become legendary." Although the landing at
Campo Imperatore was led by
First Lieutenant von Berlepsch under Major Mors's command, Skorzeny and the SS would become the face of the triumph. Skorzeny was named
Sturmbannführer, awarded the
Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross, and dubbed the "most dangerous man in Europe". He wrote another memoir in 1976,
Meine Kommandounternehmen (My Commando Operations). The Nazi legend of his part in the scheme was the dominant narrative for decades. His exaggerated credit overshadowed the genuine role of the paratroopers. By all accounts, the man the Germans rescued was broken and bore little resemblance to the swaggering
Il Duce. Mussolini had attempted suicide while under arrest. == See also ==