Hello, and thank you for listening to a History of World War II podcast, Episode 11, Abyss.

First off, I'd like to thank Michael Duncan of the History of Rome series on iTunes for

some technical help.

If you haven't checked out his podcast, you certainly should.

You can search Michael Duncan or the History of Rome, and it's really one of the best that's

out there.

I wish I could say that I was going on one of his history from tours next year, but if I get

half the numbers that he does as far as listeners, I would be happy to arrange something I'd

love to go to Europe, England, probably North Africa, and maybe as far as Moscow, and then set up

something in the Asian theater as well. So, you know, fingers crossed on that.

Benito Mussolini meant his last mistress in September of 1933 in Austria.

Her name was Claretta Patacci. She was 21, and he was 50. She had told him that she'd always

wanted to meet Il Duce. He was flattered, got her phone number, and called her three days later.

She came over, and by most accounts, the affair started pretty much right away,

but this was Italy, with the Vatican nearby, and she still lived at home, so she would come over

when she could, and they kept it as discreet as possible. She did get married in June of 1934.

He certainly didn't leave his wife, and she, you know, cared on with her life. And by 1936,

her husband was sent to Japan as a minister or representative, so he was out of the picture.

Years later, looking back on the affair, Mussolini said that he still thought that young women were

good for man's body, but not for his soul, and that really only women enjoyed sex. As far as

politics in Italy, there was a new party secretary, Starracci, and he was taking more power,

arresting or demoting, more established fascists, basically carrying out his own subtle little purge,

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