The Vatican City was neutral during the whole of the war; both Allied and Axis bombers were told not to attack the Vatican when bombing Rome. Two months before the bombing, the Kingdom of Italy signed an armistice with the Allies. Nazi Germany responded quickly by driving the royal government from Rome, freeing Benito Mussolini, and establishing the Italian Social Republic (RSI). The bombing occurred while the city was under German occupation. The attack was the only breach of Vatican neutrality during the Second World War.