Mauser HSc pistol, magazine, firing pin, and mainspring used by a Yugoslavian partisan
Extent and Medium
a: Height: 4.375 inches (11.113 cm) | Width: 1.125 inches (2.858 cm) | Depth: 6.500 inches (16.51 cm)
b: Height: 4.125 inches (10.478 cm) | Width: 0.625 inches (1.588 cm) | Depth: 1.500 inches (3.81 cm)
c: Height: 0.375 inches (0.953 cm) | Width: 0.125 inches (0.318 cm) | Depth: 1.750 inches (4.445 cm)
d: Height: 0.375 inches (0.953 cm) | Width: 0.250 inches (0.635 cm) | Depth: 2.375 inches (6.033 cm)
Creator(s)
- Leo Gerskovic (Subject)
- Leo Gerskovic (Previous owner)
- Mauser-Werke AG (Manufacturer)
Biographical History
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).
Archival History
The pistol, magazine, firing pin and mainspring were donated to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 1992 by Dr. Leo Gerskovic.
Acquisition
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Collection, Gift of Leo Gerskovic
Scope and Content
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).
Conditions Governing Access
No restrictions on access
Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements
a: Semi-automatic, black, steel framed, 7.65 mm Mauser pistol with brown, walnut paneled grips. The grip has a straight front strap with a back strap that curves inward below the slide. Each grip panel has a small, black screw in the center. The magazine release is a small, ridged latch on the bottom of the grip. The front tip of the magazine extends out slightly past the front of the grip. The steel trigger guard extends out from the front of the grip and has a large, oval-shaped opening that holds the crescent-shaped trigger. The trigger guard continues forward and tapers up, where it joins the front end of the frame. Attached to the top of the frame is the slide that contains the barrel and firing mechanisms. The slide has flat sides with thin, angled, vertical ridges on both sides near the back. The top of the slide is rounded with a small, U-shaped channel which holds the front and rear sights. The oval ejection port is midway down the barrel on the right side. A levered thumb safety is on the left side of the slide and at the rear. The lever is in the up position, revealing a small, red painted circle. The front of the slide holds the circular opening of the barrel. The back of the slide holds the small hammer. The manufacturing information and a maker’s mark are stamped on the left side of the slide, and a Waffenamt mark is stamped on both sides of the trigger guard. b: Metal, dark silver-colored handgun magazine for a 7.65mm Mauser HSc. The rectangular-shaped magazine is angled forward with a rounded front side and a flat back. The flat sides have two columns of small holes; three on the rear and four in the front column. The bottom is wide and flat and extends forward past the magazine. The interior contains a spring that extends up from the bottom and attaches to a platform that sits at the top of the magazine, and is depressed when a cartridge is inserted. c: Small, dark silver, metal firing pin from a 7.65 mm Mauser HSc. The pin is thin, and has a rectangular-shaped center section with a small cylindrical bolt on the front and back. The rear bolt is slightly longer than the front and has a spring on it. The top has a small, cylindrical post. One side of the rectangular center is discolored black. d: Cylindrical-shaped, thin, gray metal mainspring from a 7.65 mm Mauser HSc. The front has a thin cylindrical protuberance in the center with a rounded end. The main body is cylindrical with two small, rectangular ridges. The back has a cylindrical-shaped tail which holds a spring, extending out from inside the hollow main section.
Corporate Bodies
- National Anti-Fascist Council of People's Liberation of Croatia
- Mauser-Werke AG
- Union of Communist Youth of Yugoslavia
Subjects
- Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945)--Yugoslavia.
- Oberndorf am Neckar (Germany)
- Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945)--Jewish resistance.
- Fascism--Croatia.
- Holocaust survivors--Yugoslavia--Biography.
- Croatia
- Yugoslavia.
- Mauser pistol.
- Communist parties.
- World War, 1939-1945--Occupied territories.
Genre
- Object
- Weapons
- Handguns.