Prime Minister of Italy 1943-1944

Pietro Badoglio (1871-1956) was an Italian officer (marshal) and politician. He was a supporter of the fascist movement since 1924. As commander-in-chief during the colonial wars of conquest in North Africa in the 1930s, he committed the most serious war crimes. After Mussolini was deposed on July 26, 1943, Badoglio became prime minister of Italy and dissolved all fascist organizations. On September 8, 1943, he concluded an armistice with the Western Allies, who had already occupied southern Italy. The Nazis considered this a betrayal. As a result, Germany occupied northern and central Italy and took more than 800,000 Italian soldiers into captivity. The majority of them had to perform forced labor for the Nazi regime as “Italian military internees”. After the liberation of Rome by the Allies in June 1944, Badoglio resigned and increasingly retreated into private life. He was never convicted of his war crimes.