Italy Switches Sides: Rome Declares War on Germany
King Victor Emmanuel III ousted Benito Mussolini in July 1943, dismantling the Fascist regime and appointing Pietro Badoglio as Prime Minister just before Italy signed the Armistice of Cassibile on September 8. This sudden switch from Axis partner to Allied co-belligerent triggered immediate German occupation of northern Italy and a brutal civil war that pitted loyalists against partisans until hostilities ended.
October 13, 1943
83 years ago
Key Figures & Places
What Else Happened on October 13
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