Bruno Mussolini | |
|---|---|
 Mussolini in 1941 | |
| Born | (1918-04-22)22 April 1918 |
| Died | 7 August 1941(1941-08-07) (aged 23) Pisa, Kingdom of Italy |
| Cause of death | Flying accident |
| Height | 1.69 m (5 ft 7 in) |
| Spouse | Gina Ruberti |
| Parents |
|
| Relatives | Vittorio Mussolini (brother) Edda Mussolini (sister) Romano Mussolini (brother) Arnaldo Mussolini (uncle) Alessandro Mussolini (paternal grandfather) Rosa Mussolini (paternal grandmother) |
| Military career | |
| Allegiance |  Kingdom of Italy |
| Branch | Regia Aeronautica |
| Service years | 1935–1941 |
| Rank | Air sergeant |
| Conflicts | |
Bruno Mussolini (22 April 1918 – 7 August 1941) was the son ofPrime Minister of ItalyBenito Mussolini and Mussolini's second wifeRachele, the nephew ofArnaldo Mussolini, and also the grandson ofAlessandro Mussolini andRosa Mussolini. He was an experienced pilot who died in a flying accident.
Bruno Mussolini was born inMilan inLombardy. His father, Benito Mussolini, was the editor of the newspaperIl Popolo d'Italia ("The People of Italy") before Bruno's birth and, on 22 April 1918, was away for the day inGenoa. Mussolini indicated to his wife that he did not want her to give birth before his return. In his words: "I don't want to be the last to be told again, as I was withVittorio." That evening, the manager of the newspaper greeted Mussolini at the station with a broad grin and the words: "It's a boy."[1]
In 1919, Bruno Mussolini caughtdiphtheria and his parents feared he would never recover. Soon after the doctors pronounced him out of danger, he suffered from abronchial complaint. By this time, one-year-old Bruno's weight had dropped to about 15 pounds (6.8 kg).[2]
As a young student, 9-year-old Bruno adeptly, if not correctly, answered a schoolteacher's question about grammar. An examiner is reported to have said: "Now Bruno, tell me in what person one cannot command" (meaning thefirst-person). In response, Bruno tactfully responded: "There are two persons one cannot command, theKing and my father."[3]
At the age of 12, Bruno took after his father and tackled journalism. He and his older brotherVittorio published a weekly periodical calledLa Penna del Ragazzi ("The Boys' Pen").[4]
Bruno grew to like boxing, women, and cars.[5] In 1935, at the age of 17, Bruno became Italy's youngest pilot.[6]
On 7 November 1938, Bruno married Gina Ruberti[nb 1] inRome.[nb 2] His wife was the daughter of the head of the Ministry of Education's Contemporary Art Bureau. On 18 March 1940 in Rome, Bruno and his wife had their first child, a daughter named Marina.
In 1935, Bruno Mussolini joined theRoyal Italian Air Force (Regia Aeronautica Italiana) and became a pilot. He flew for theRegia Aeronautica during theSecond Italo-Ethiopian War. In September, before theKingdom of Italy invaded theEthiopian Empire, Air Sergeant Bruno Mussolini, 17, Air Second LieutenantVittorio Mussolini, 18, and Air Captain CountNobile Galeazzo Ciano, 32, sailed fromNaples toAfrica aboard the MSSaturnia.[7] Bruno later wrote newspaper articles describing his exploits in the war, saying that the Ethiopians were "bursting open like a rose," and that "after the bomb racks were emptied I began throwing bombs by hand...it was most amusing."[8][9][10] After Ethiopia, Bruno also participated in theSpanish Civil War andWorld War II. Unlike his brother Vittorio, Bruno was considered to be a serious pilot. In addition to participating in various conflicts, Bruno was involved in settingflight airspeed records in a 1938 flight toBrazil.[11]
On 7 August 1941, the 23-year-old Mussolini, commander of the 274aSquadriglia (274th Squadron), was flying in one of the prototypes of the "secret"Piaggio P.108B bomber,MM22003,[citation needed] near the San Giusto Airport inPisa, when he crashed into a house.[12] The cockpit section was separated from the rest of the aircraft, and Bruno Mussolini died of his injuries. Although the aircraft did not catch fire, it was totally destroyed in the impact. Five members of the crew were injured, and three died, including Bruno. Benito Mussolini rushed to the Santa Chiara Hospital to be at the side of his dead son.[13]
Bruno's death prompted his father to compose a booklet entitled "I Talk With Bruno" (Parlo con Bruno). The booklet implied timeless intimacy between the two and mixed Fascist, Catholic, and familial piety.[14]
Robert Downey, Jr. portrayed Bruno Mussolini in the TV mini-seriesMussolini: The Untold Story in 1985.[15]
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