On 9 September 1943 German troops entered Foggia in the chaos that followed the proclamation of the Armistice of Cassibile and the start of Operation Achse, quickly seizing all key points of the city. A German delegation then demanded Caperdoni to surrender; convinced that resistance would be futile, the general complied, ordering his men to lay down their arms, and then shot himself in the head. The bullet did not kill him, but left him permanently blinded. He was taken to the city's hospital, where he was treated by German medical officers and later, after the liberation of Foggia on 1 October, by the Allies.[3][4][9]
After the war he retired with his wife in Montù Beccaria, where he committed suicide on 13 April 1955.[3][4]