- Brief Narrative
- Mauser HSc pistol used by Leo Gerskovic while he was a member of the Yugoslav partisans during World War II. Based on the marking on the trigger guard, this pistol was a German military-issued pistol before Gerskovic acquired it. Leo Gerskovic, his wife Inge, and their child lived in Zagreb, Yugoslavia, when Germany and its allies invaded and occupied the country on April 6, 1941. Central Yugoslavia, including Zagreb, was formed into the independent state of Croatia, ruled by the Ustasa. Soon after occupation, Leo, with his wife and child fled and joined the partisans. After he joined, Leo was sent to Split in the Italian-occupied zone on the Dalmatian Coast. There he was an organizer for the resistance, directed courses for the Pokrajinski Komitet Komunistička partija Hrvatske (PK KPH, Provincial Committee for the Communist Party of Croatia), edited the underground newspaper “Our Report”, and was later appointed Officer of the Naval Forces for Headquarters IV Operations Zone. In February 1943, he lectured for the Communist Party in Livno and in June he was editor of the underground newspaper, “Free Dalmatia”. In June, 1944, he helped organize the First Congress of Croatian Cultural Workers in Topusko. Towards the end of the war, Leo was appointed as head of the Management Department at Zemaljsko antifašističko vijeće narodnog oslobođenja Hrvatske (ZAVNOH, State Anti-fascist Council for the National Liberation of Croatia). For his service during the war, Leo was awarded the Partizanska Spomenica (Commemorative Medal of the Partisans).
- Date
-
manufacture:
1940 December-1945 May
acquired:
1941 April 06-1945 May
- Geography
-
manufacture:
Oberndorf am Neckar (Germany)
use:
Yugoslavia
- Credit Line
- United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Collection, Gift of Leo Gerskovic
- Markings
- left side, on slide, stamped : MAUSER / Mauser-Werke A.G. Oberndorf a. N. / Mod. HSc / Kal. 7,65mm
left side, on trigger guard, stamped : [Waffenampt mark] / 135
front, grip front strap, stamped : 856051
- Contributor
-
Subject:
Leo Gerskovic
Previous owner:
Leo Gerskovic
Manufacturer:
Mauser-Werke AG
- Biography
-
Leo Gerskovic (1910-?) was born in Bucje, Austria-Hungary (now Croatia). He worked as an attorney in Zagreb, Yugoslavia, and was married to Inge, with whom he had a child. In 1936, he joined the Communist Party of Yugoslavia (CPY). Leo was arrested by the police later in the year for his communist activities, but he was released due to lack of evidence.
On April 6, 1941, Germany and Italy, supported by Hungary and Bulgaria, invaded Yugoslavia. Yugoslavia was partitioned, and central Yugoslavia, including Zagreb, was formed into the independent State of Croatia, which was governed by the Ustaše and administered by the Germans. The regime enacted anti-Jewish laws, confiscated property and money, forced males to work hard labor and then began deporting Jews to camps. Leo’s father, mother, and brother were killed, along with Inge’s family. Leo, Inge and their child were able to escape the authorities and joined the partisans.
Soon after he joined the partisans, the Central Committee of the Komunistička partija Hrvatske (KPH, Communist Party of Croatia) sent Leo to Split, in the Italian-occupied zone on the Dalmatian Coast. There he was an organizer for the resistance, directed Savez komunističke omladine Jugoslavije (SKOJ, League of Communist Youth of Yugoslavia) courses for the Pokrajinski Komitet Komunistička partija Hrvatske (PK KPH, Provincial Committee for the Communist Party of Croatia), and edited the underground newspaper “Our Report”. In February 1942, he was appointed Secretary of both the Mesni komitet Komunistička partija Hrvatske (MK KPH, Local Committee for the Communist Party of Croatia) and the PK KPH for Central Dalmatia. Leo lectured for the SKOJ in August, and was appointed Officer of the Naval Forces for Headquarters IV Operations Zone in September. In February 1943, he lectured for the Communist Party in Livno and in June he became editor of the underground newspaper, “Free Dalmatia”. In June, 1944, he took part in organizing the First Congress of Croatian Cultural Workers in Topusko, and in August he participated in a paper at the Congress of Anti-Fascist Lawyers. Leo was then appointed as head of the Management Department at Zemaljsko antifašističko vijeće narodnog oslobođenja Hrvatske (ZAVNOH, State Anti-fascist Council for the National Liberation of Croatia) and as a member of the Centraini komitet Komunistička partija Hrvatske (CK KPH, Centraini Committee Communist Party of Croatia). For his service during the war, Leo was awarded the Partizanska Spomenica (Commemorative Medal of the Partisans of 1941).
