ITALY – APRIL 28, 1945 Benito Mussolini was an Italian fascist dictator, an idol of Adolf Hitler and an ally of Nazi Germany during World War II. Under his leadership, Italy became a totalitarian state that executed civilians, dragged Italy into several wars, deported Jews from its territory to Nazi concentration camps, and much more.

: Benito Mussolini 1

: Benito Mussolini 2

: Benito Mussolini 3

As the end of World War II approached in the spring of 1945, Mussolini attempted to flee through northern Italy to Switzerland. But he was intercepted near the border by Italian partisans on 27 April 1945. The following day he was executed by shooting along with his mistress Clara Petacci and several others close to him. Their bodies were subsequently taken to Milan, where they were publicly hung upside down in the Piazzale Loreto as a warning to other fascists.

All of the photographs are authentic. One of them is in color, the other has been colorized and upscaled using modern artificial intelligence tools.