dr Leo ŠTERN 

Dr. LEON LEO ŠTERN, son of ZIGMUND, born in 1908* in Sarajevo, lawyer. He came to Mostar after the capitulation of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. In the Battalion since the beginning of 1942, a fighter in the platoon of Ante Zuanić, killed in an attempt to break out from the besieged house in Janjina near Konjic on April 10, 1942. Executed by the Ustasha.

There are several accounts of the dramatic death of the fighters from Ante Zuanić’s platoon in the hours-long battles against far superior Ustasha forces. In this clash, HUSNIJA KANJE, a gardener, and MUSTAFA KANJE, a worker, both from Mostar, were also killed. After capturing the fighters, apart from Ante Zuanić, the following were executed: FEHIM JAClĆ, a worker from Sarajevo, EKREM JUSUFOVIĆ, a lance corporal, a worker from Mostar, MEHMED SKOPLJAK, a worker from Visoko, Dr. LEO ŠTERN, a lawyer from Sarajevo, MIRKO TOPALOVIĆ, a peasant from Kula, HILMIJA HAKALO and ISMET KRESO jumped into the Neretva River before the execution and managed to swim, even with their hands tied, to Glavatičevo and report about the battle in Janjina. Both of them will die later in the National Liberation War (NOB).

In 1999, a Holocaust monument was erected at the Jewish cemetery in Mostar, which also bears the name of Dr. Leon Štern.

Excerpt from literature:

On the breakout:

“When they encountered strong resistance in Dramiševo on April 8, 1942, the Ustasha forces headed towards Janjina and attacked the platoon of Ante Zuanić. Suddenly, they surged from all sides out of the forest and surrounded the house where the platoon was located. It was a single-story rural house covered with planks. The partisans accepted the fight – nine of them against 170 Ustasha soldiers. It was an uneven battle. The platoon positioned themselves in the house and bravely opened fire on the enemy. A fierce battle ensued. The fighters shot through the windows, doors, and from the walls under the roof. As long as it was visible outside, the enemy, greeted with precise fire from the partisans, could not approach the house. In that battle, the platoon killed five and wounded several enemy soldiers. However, trouble came with the darkness. As the darkness grew, the Ustasha forces approached the house more and more. Additionally, the partisans ran out of ammunition. One of the Ustasha militiamen, who was a local resident and knew every inch of the land around the house, approached the wall under the cover of darkness and set the house on fire. The roof and other materials began to burn like a torch. The house turned into a blazing inferno. This led to even greater trouble – the fighters were being suffocated by thick smoke. It became increasingly hot and unbearable. The air was so scorching that the defenders felt like they were under burning hot lead. Burned planks and beams started falling on the fighters’ heads, scorching their flesh. Despite that, they continued to heroically fight and repel all enemy attacks. The danger of being burned alive loomed… (…) They decided to attempt a breakout. They had no more ammunition, so they threw a grenade and jumped out through the window. It was impossible to break through the dense circle of enemy soldiers, so they were overpowered.”

*According to the book “Spomenica Mostara 1941-1945.”