Fabrique Nationale Browning Model 1922 used by a Yugoslavian partisan
Extent and Medium
overall: Height: 4.750 inches (12.065 cm) | Width: 1.375 inches (3.493 cm) | Depth: 7.000 inches (17.78 cm)
Creator(s)
- Fabrique Nationale Herstal (Manufacturer)
- Dudo Montiljo (Subject)
- Dudo Montiljo (Previous owner)
Biographical History
Duda Montiljo (birth name Leon Montiljo, 1909-1995) was born in Visoko, Austria Hungary (now Bosnia and Herzegovina) to Jakob and Rahele Montiljo. As an adult, he settled in Prnjavor and worked as a merchant. On April 6, 1941, Germany and Italy, supported by Hungary and Bulgaria, invaded Yugoslavia. Yugoslavia was partitioned, and central Yugoslavia, including Prnjavor, 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. Dudo’s mother, Rahele, and his four siblings, Rene, Klare, Smoela, and Morica were deported to and killed in the camps. In 1943, Dudo joined the 3rd battalion of the 10th Brigade of the People's Liberation Army (Yugoslav partisans). He fought with the partisans in Yugoslavia during the war and lost three fingers, including the second and third fingers of his right hand. After recovery, Dudo worked in the People’s Liberation Committee in Hercegovina until the end of the war. After the war he retired from the military a lieutenant and was recognized as a disabled veteran due to his injuries. He was married to Anica Finci.
Archival History
The pistol was donated to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 1993 the Federation of Jewish Communities in Yugoslavia.
Acquisition
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Collection, Gift of the Federation of Jewish Communities in Yugoslavia
Scope and Content
Browning Model 1922 pistol used by Dudo Montiljo, while he was a member of a partisan group that fought the Nazi occupation forces and Ustaše collaborators in Yugoslavia during World War II. The Model 1922 was developed by American gun designer, John Browning, and manufactured in Belgium by Fabrique Nationale. The gun was adopted by many European militaries, including Yugoslavia, and appropriated by Germany after their occupation of Belgium during World War II. Dudo lived in Prnjavor, where he worked as a merchant when Yugoslavia was invaded and partitioned by Germany and its allies in April, 1941. After the Yugoslav surrender, Dudo joined the 3rd battalion of the 10th Brigade of the People's Liberation Army (Yugoslav partisans). While fighting with the partisans Dudo lost three fingers, including the second and third fingers of his right hand. After his recovery, Dudo worked in the People’s Liberation Committee in Hercegovina until the end of the war. The Germans and their Croatian Ustaše collaborators deported and killed Dudo’s mother, Rahele, and his four siblings, Rene, Klare, Smoela, and Morica.
Conditions Governing Access
No restrictions on access
Conditions Governing Reproduction
No restrictions on use
Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements
Semi-automatic, black, steel Browning Model 1922 9mm pistol. The rectangular grip is angled forward, and has black, plastic grip panels on both sides. The panels have a knurled surface with the Fabrique Nationale (FN) logo at the top. 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 trigger guard extends out from the front of the grip and has a large, oval-shaped opening that holds the curved trigger. A grip safety is on the back strap, below the slide. A levered thumb safety is on the rear of the frame, on the left. Attached to the top of the frame is the slide, which contains the barrel and firing mechanisms. The slide has thin, vertical ridges on both sides near the back. The sides of the slide are flat, then transition into a tubular shape at the muzzle. The top of the slide is rounded with a coat of arms stamped in the center and sights at the front and rear. The front of the slide holds the circular opening of the barrel. The manufacturer’s information and serial number are stamped on the sides of the slide and frame.
People
- Browning, John M. (John Moses), 1855-1926.
Subjects
- Holocaust survivors--Yugoslavia--Biography.
- Pistols.
- Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945)--Jewish resistance.
- World War, 1939-1945--Occupied territories.
- World War, 1939-1945--Jewish resistance.
- Yugoslavia.
- Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945)--Yugoslavia.
- Herstal (Belgium)
Genre
- Object
- Weapons
- Handguns.