European theatre of World War II major German forces in the west were encircled and trapped in the Ruhr. On April 27, 1945, as Allied forces closed in on Milan, Mussolini was captured by Italian Partisans. He was trying to flee Italy to Switzerland and was traveling with a German anti-air battalion. On April 28, Mussolini and several of the other Fascists captured with him were taken to Dongo and executed by firing squad. The bodies were then taken to Milan and unceremoniously strung up in front of a filling station. Hitler, learning of Mussolini's death, realized that the end had finally come. He remained in
German designations of foreign artillery in World War II German designations of foreign artillery in World War II During World War II, Germany maintained comprehensive lists of enemy weapons which were given designations in German in a system that matched that of German weapons. When these weapons were captured and put into use with German forces they were referred to by these designations. Before the war began, the German armed forces' "Heereswaffenamt" compiled a list of known foreign equipment and assigned a unique number to each weapon. These weapons were called "Fremdgerät" or "Beutegerät" ("foreign device" or "captured device"), and their technical details were recorded in a six-volume set