On July 9, 1943, affected by the earlier Soviet victories, the Western Allies landed on Sicily. This resulted in the arrest of Mussolini in the same month. In September 1943, the Allies invaded mainland Italy, following the Italian armistice with the Allies. Germany then took control of Italy and disarmed its army, and built up many defensive lines to slow the Allied invasion down. German special forces then rescued Mussolini, who then soon created the German-occupied client state, Italian Social Republic.