Strange Allies: The Mafia & US vs Mussolini in WW2
Tim Newark & Francis Pike
Mon 24 November, 2025 at 7:30 pm - 9:00 pm GMT
£3.00 – £6.00 Military History
Hybrid Event
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It is a little-known aspect of WW2 that the Sicilian Mafia was saved from destruction at the hands of Benito Mussolini by working with America to help oppose the Italian dictator.
After coming to power in 1922, Mussolini waged war on the Mafia, intending to ‘cauterise the sore of crime in Italy’. In time, however, the Allied invasion of Sicily and the defeat of Italy, with Mafia help, opened the pathway to the restoration of the Mafia’s economic and political power in the 1950s and 60s.
Tim Newark will be interviewed by historian Francis Pike.
Tim Newark is a writer and historian based in Bath. His many published works include subjects including the Mafia, Camouflage, Uniforms, Highland soldiery and many more. He is a regular contributor to national newspapers and magazines and has written seven history documentary series for television including Hitler’s Bodyguards.
