Eiche operation
l' Opération Eiche is an operation directed by the Commando Waffen-SS Otto Skorzeny intended to release Benito Mussolini, reversed by the Grand council of the Fascism which gives the full powerss to the king Victor-Emmanuel III which names the marshal Pietro Badoglio president of the council, Duce is imprisoned.
During the summer 1943, Otto Skorzeny receives like instruction, of Adolf Hitler in person, to find Benito Mussolini, then imprisoned in Italy, and to release it. It then carries out a survey of ground which enables to locate him the secret place where the Duce is imprisoned and organizes secretly its release. The September 12th 1943 with 14:00 (7h after the hour envisaged), it delivers Mussolini of its prison at the top of the Gran Sasso in Italy whereas this last is imprisoned and supervised by several Italian soldiers who received the order to carry out it in the event of escape bid. Those however do not do anything for preventing some. The success of this airborne operation is due to the effect of surprised but also to technical capabilities of the “German Stork”, a plane (the Fieseler Fi 156 '' Storch ''), able to take off in less than 70 m and to land in less than 20 m with which Mussolini escaped.