Global InformationValtellina Redoubt information
The Valtellina Redoubt or, officially, in Italian: Ridotto Alpino Repubblicano (transl. Republican Alpine Redoubt) or RAR, was the intended final stronghold or redoubt of the Italian fascist regime of Benito Mussolini at the end of World War II in Europe. It was to be based in the Valtellina, a valley in the Italian Alps, which had the natural protection afforded by the surrounding mountains as well as the possibility of re-using fortifications built in the area for World War I. The idea was initially proposed in September 1944 by Alessandro Pavolini, one of the fascist leaders, who saw it as the place for the regime to make a "heroic" last stand which would inspire a future fascist revolution.
Although Pavolini's idea was supported by Mussolini, the fascist leadership as a whole was divided over it. Only minimal preparatory work was carried out to establish the area as a stronghold and, as a result, when the Allied victory in Italy approached in April 1945, the Valtellina was not ready to be used by the fascists as a redoubt. At the end of April, resistance to the Allied advance quickly collapsed without any major "last stand", and the war in Italy soon ended with the Axis forces signing the Surrender of Caserta on 29 April 1945.