Ettore Muti

In 1943, Muti joined the military intelligence service. On 25 July, the day of the pro-Allied coup d'état in the Grand Council of Fascism, Muti was in Spain, trying to obtain the radar set of a United States aircraft that had crashed on neutral territory. He returned to Rome on 27 July, and remained in his private villa. On the night of 23–24 August, a group of Carabinieri entered his residence and placed him under arrest. They all left through a pine forest surrounding the area, and the following moments are still mysterious. The official communiqué stated:

In 1936 he returned to Italy, but left soon after as a volunteer on Francisco Franco's side in the Spanish Civil War, fighting under the pseudonym Gim Valeri. He led a squadron of bombers over Republican ports, winning several silver medals, and, in 1938, a Gold Medal of Military Valor. He returned with the new moniker Cid alato ("The Winged El Cid") and the prestigious Military Order of Savoy. Later in 1938, he left for Italian-influenced Albania, staying on through its full occupation by the Italians in 1939 (and winning another medal).

He joined the Regia Aeronautica (Italian air force), developing a passion for aircraft – he accepted demotion to lieutenant, according to the practical requirements of the service. He flew during the Second Italo-Abyssinian War in 1935–1936, where his skills as a pilot earned him a Silver Medal of Military Valor.

His life remained adventurous: a womanizer and entertaining host, Muti cruised in speeding cars or on his Harley Davidson. In 1926 he married Fernanda Mazzoti, the daughter of a banker, and, in 1929, fathered his only child Diana. He escaped an assassination attempt carried out by a left-wing activist on 13 September 1927, but was shot twice in his abdomen and arm, as a result. His survival was uncertain for a period of time, and he was left with a 20 cm scar.

During this time, Muti met Benito Mussolini, for whom he developed a lasting fascination. A Fascist as soon as the Fiume episode came to an end, he was arrested on several occasions. On 29 October 1922, he was head of the squad that occupied Ravenna City Hall during the March on Rome. After the taking over of the state, Ettore Muti made a career in the Blackshirts, organized as the "Voluntary State Security Militia" (Milizia Volontaria per la Sicurezza Nazionale, MVSN).

On the front, Muti distinguished himself through feats of audacity. His detachment of 800 men was ordered to establish a bridgehead under enemy fire: it managed to do so, but was only left with 23 members at the end of the day. Gabriele D'Annunzio benefited from Muti's services during his seizing of Fiume (now Rijeka, Croatia) in September 1919–January 1921; he gave Muti the lasting moniker Gim dagli occhi verdi ("Green-Eyed Jim"). In fact, Muti was rarely involved in fighting over Fiume, being more likely to engage in flamboyant stunts. D'Annunzio told Muti: "You are the expression of Superhuman values, a weightless impetus, a boundless offering, a fistful of incense over the embers, the scent of a pure soul".

Ettore Muti (2 May 1902 – 24 August 1943) was an Italian aviator and Fascist politician. He was party secretary of the National Fascist Party (Partito Nazionale Fascista, or PNF) from October 1939 until shortly after the entry of Italy into World War II on 10 June 1940.