United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
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.
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The Dudo Montiljo papers are arranged as a single series: I. Dudo Montiljo papers, 1942-1946
The Dudo Montiljo papers consist of certificates, identification papers, medical records, and photographs documenting Montiljo’s service with the Yugoslav partisans during World War II, the wounds he received, his service awards and medals, a damaged gun claimed as a war trophy during the war, and trees he planted in the Martyrs’ Forest in Israel in honor of his mother, brothers, and sisters.
Dudo Montiljo papers