Prompted by the Grand Council, the king had Mussolini arrested on Sunday, 25 July 1943. Garòsci returned to Italy and, with the active support of the American and British armies invading from the south, crossed the battle lines and made his way on to Rome, entering the city in December 1943. (Large scale fighting in the unforgiving mountains to the south of Rome had temporarily come to a virtual halt out of deference to the winter weather.) He joined up with the rapidly emerging Rome Resistance military operation. Teaming up Riccardo Bauer, he collaborated with the newly relaunched "Action Party" "Partito d'Azione" / PdA, while nevertheless at this stage distancing himself from direct political engagement.
