29th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS (1st Italian) The new Italian Social Republic was founded on 23 September 1943 under dictator Benito Mussolini. On 2 October 1943, Heinrich Himmler and Gottlob Berger devised the "Programm zur Aufstellung der italienischen Milizeinheiten durch die Waffen-SS" ("Program for the deployment of Italian militia forces by the Waffen-SS") which was approved by Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini. In October 1943, 15,000 volunteers started training at Truppenübungsplatz Münsingen, but 9,000 of them were unsuitable and released for training in police units, the Black Brigades or for labor. On 23 November 1943, 13 Miliz-Battalions pledged their loyalty before being moved to "SS-Ausbildungsstab Italien". The
Benito Mussolini topical insult of "chisler". William Saroyan wrote a short story about Mussolini in his 1971 book, "Letters from 74 rue Taitbout or Don't Go But If You Must Say Hello To Everybody". More serious biographical depictions include Rod Steiger in Carlo Lizzani's 1974 movie "Last Days of Mussolini", and George C. Scott's portrayal in the 1985 television mini-series "Mussolini: The Untold Story". Another 1985 movie was "Mussolini and I", in which Bob Hoskins plays the dictator (with Susan Sarandon as his daughter Edda and Anthony Hopkins as Count Ciano). Actor Antonio Banderas also played the title role in "Benito" in