(25 Apr 2015) VOICE-OVER:
IT WAS KNOWN AS THE ITALIAN CAMPAIGN. A NEARLY TWO-YEAR LONG PUSH BY ALLIED FORCES TO EXPEL GERMAN FORCES FROM THE PENINSULA.
BY JUNE OF 1944, WITH ROME UNDER ALLIED CONTROL, VICTORY SEEMED CERTAIN, BUT THE BLOODY CAMPAIGN WOULD CONTINUE FOR ANOTHER NINE MONTHS.
SEVENTY YEARS LATER, THERE ARE FEW ALIVE THAT CAN TELL THE STORY OF THOSE FINAL MONTHS OF WORLD WAR II. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS'S GEORGE BRIA IS ONE OF THEM.
SOUNDBITE: (English) George Bria, Associated Press World War II correspondent:
"After the capture of Rome. We had one line after another of Germans that we had to capture positions. We went straight up, Florence, etc. It took a long time to get the Germans out of there. they were fighting bitterly."
AS WAR CORRESPONDENT, BRIA COVERED ROME. AND BETWEEN ITS LIBERATION AND THAT OF THE COUNTRY, HE WITNESSED SEVERAL HISTORIC EVENTS.
SOUNDBITE: (English) George Bria, Associated Press World War II correspondent:
"The trial of Pietro Caruso... he was the police chief in Rome at the time. And he was tried, convicted and executed and I covered the execution. They put Caruso in a chair with his back to the firing squad and a friar was there administering the last rights, the friar backed off, the firing squad fired and he slumped over and he died."
AND WHILE CARUSO'S EXECUTION WAS OUT OF THE PUBLIC EYE, THAT OF THE DEPOSED FASCIST LEADER BENITO MUSSOLINI'S WAS DIFFERENT.
AFTER BEING SHOT DEAD,IL DUCE AND HIS MISTRESS - ALONG WITH SEVERAL OTHER FASCISTS - WERE PUT ON PUBLIC DISPLAY.
WITHIN FOUR DAYS OF MUSSOLINI'S DEATH, ITALY HAD BEEN LIBERATED. A FORMAL END TO ALL HOSTILITIES IN EUROPE WITH GERMANY'S UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER ON MAY 7th.
LUKE SHERIDAN - ASSOCIATED PRESS
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