His father, Benito Mussolini, was the editor of the newspaper Il Popolo d'Italia ("The People of Italy") before Bruno's birth and, on 22 April 1918, was away for the day in Genoa.

That evening, the manager of the newspaper greeted Mussolini at the station with a broad grin and the words: "It's a boy.

He and his older brother Vittorio published a weekly periodical called La Penna del Ragazzi ("The Boys' Pen").

In 1935, Bruno Mussolini joined the Royal Italian Air Force (Regia Aeronautica Italiana) and became a pilot.

[7] Bruno later wrote newspaper articles describing his exploits in the war, saying that the Ethiopians were "bursting open like a rose," and that "after the bomb-racks were emptied I began throwing bombs by hand...it was most amusing.

[11] On 7 August 1941, the 23-year-old Mussolini, commander of the 274a Squadriglia (274th Squadron), was flying in one of the prototypes of the "secret" Piaggio P.108B bomber, MM22003,[citation needed] near the San Giusto Airport in Pisa, when he crashed into a house.

Benito Mussolini rushed to the Santa Chiara Hospital to be at the side of his dead son.