In Front of 200 Cops, Mussolini Escapes
Benito Mussolini, the father of fascism, through violence, subterfuge, cunning and raw charisma, established himself as the Prime Minister of Italy in 1922. Mussolini then, through both legal and illegal means (including murder), subverted the previously democratic Italian state and, through his National Fascist Party, made Italy a one-party dictatorship with himself as its leader (Il Duce.)
Mussolini’s fascists promised to restore an economically and politically ailing Italy to the former greatness of the historical Roman Empire. Mussolini led Italy into numerous regional conflicts in the ensuing years, including Libya, Ethiopia, Albania, and Spain. But when the Italians aligned with Nazi Germany during World War II, a series of defeats saw the fascists lose on several fronts. And when the allies invaded Sicily in 1943, the Grand Council of Fascism (the entity that controlled the institutions of government) issued a non-confidence vote against Mussolini, removed him from power and placed in custody. The Italians then began talks for an armistice with the invading allied forces.
The new Italian government feared that Mussolini could regain power and moved him several times during his imprisonment. Eventually, his jailers placed Mussolini in the Hotel Campo Imperatorem, a remote mountain top ski chalet in the Gran Sasso d’Italia mountains, publically accessible by cable car.
Adolf Hitler greatly admired Mussolini and modelled many aspects of his own rise to power on Il Duce’s strategies and tactics. The fascist concepts of super nationalism, militarism, scapegoating, suppression of labour organizations, control of the mass media (and much more) were all successfully adopted by Hitler.
Mussolini’s imprisonment greatly distressed Hitler, and the Fuhrer knew that this meant that Italy could soon join the allies against him. In September, upon Italy’s declaration of an armistice, Germany invaded the northern part of the country to try and stem the impending allied incursion. They also executed a mission to rescue Mussolini.
Mission leader Otto Skorzeny, a highly decorated SS commando personally chosen by Hitler, had spent weeks planning the operation. Now, with German spies confirming Mussolini’s location in the Hotel Campo Imperatorem, the last piece of information was in place. The mountain top retreat would be challenging to get to undetected, but there was one possibility, arrive by glider aircraft. SS command green-lit the mission.
Twelve glider aircraft with nine men each were towed by plane to the vicinity and released to begin their descent to the mountain top. Skorzeny’s commando unit arrived first, along with some German paratroopers. Additional paratroopers captured the cable car’s valley station, cutting the telephone lines so an alarm could not be relayed.
Skorzeny also brought a secret weapon, Italian general Fernando Soleti, who the SS coerced into the fray. As the commandos stormed the hotel, Soleti called out to the 200 well-armed Italian carabinieri guarding Mussolini to stand down and not shoot. Completely surprised, the carabinieri were also confused about whether this might be a friendly force advancing on their position. Not wanting to take the chance, the carabinieri stood down.
Within 10 minutes of the commandos landing, Skorzeny greeted Mussolini and escorted him out of the building and onto a plane for his escape from Italy. The rescue force accomplished this despite being outnumbered two to one and without firing a single shot.
Insight and Application
William H. McRaven had an illustrious military career, including being a navy seal, a four-star US Navy admiral, and commander of United States Special Operations Command. In 1977, McRaven submitted a thesis for his MA in national security affairs at the Naval Postgraduate School entitled “The Theory of Special Operations.”
In the opening paragraphs, McRaven states:
Special operations forces are usually numerically inferior to the enemy and generally these forces are attacking fortified positions. According to Carl Von Clausewitz, both of these factors should spell defeat, and yet, time and again — these missions succeed. … certain principles of special operations can be combined to achieve relative superiority. Relative superiority is the condition that exists when a smaller force gains a decisive advantage over a larger or well defended enemy. … in essence, special operations forces gain that advantage when they have a simple plan, carefully concealed, realistically rehearsed and executed with surprise, speed and purpose.
McRaven goes on to describe the six principles of special operations that confer relative superiority.
1. Purpose — Each operation needs clarity of purpose that is easily communicated and understood by all team members. During the mission, teams must minimize distractions and execute tasks with the sole focus of accomplishing the mission’s purpose.
2. Simplicity — Simplify, simplify, simplify. Any complexity multiplies the chance for error. Simple missions with simple tasks are the most likely to succeed. But it is wise to heed Einstein’s warning, “A thing should be as simple as possible, but no simpler.”
3. Speed — Special operations teams usually face a numerically superior enemy in fortified positions. Speed of execution is essential to avoid being discovered and reduce the chances of a firefight against a larger force.
4. Security — Beginning with secrecy and information only dispensed on a need-to-know basis, everyone must guard a mission’s details to prevent the enemy from preparing a defence. While on the ground, the primary team must be provided with perimeter and exit security so they can do their job and then safely get out
5. Repetition — Train. Repeat. Train. Repeat. Train. And then repeat some more. Repetition allows the team to encounter several mission scenarios in the safety of a training environment. The repetition of training allows for a smoother execution of the mission, with all team members ready to encounter numerous circumstances.
6. Surprise — Nothing beats surprising the enemy. And nothing is worse than encountering a well-prepared enemy that knows you are coming. The element of surprise relies heavily on the other principles above.
McRaven’s thesis details eight special operations case studies (including Mussolini’s rescue) and how these six principles confer relative superiority when followed. Smaller organizations can compete effectively against larger adversaries by borrowing heavily from the principles of special operations above.
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This is a story in the new book I’m writing, Leadership Parables, which will feature leadership lessons in highly memorable short story form. But I need your help. If you remember an anecdote that influenced the way you think about business and leadership, tell me about it. If your suggestion is selected, you will receive a copy of the book and credit as a contributor. If you would like to know when the book is released, please add your name here. And, if you have an idea to share, please contact me at kurian@strategypeak.com.
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