 On 12 September, Mussolini was liberated by the Germans in Operation Eiche in the mountains of Abruzzo, while the Italian carabinieri were allegedly ordered to not fire their weapons at the raiders, rendering them defenseless.After being liberated, Mussolini was flown to Bavaria.Gathering what support he still had among the Italian population, his liberation made it possible for a new German-dependent Fascist Italian state to be created.