Followed by the capitulation of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia on 17 April 1941, the establishment of the Independent State of Croatia, and the signing of the Treaty of Rome on May 18 of the same year, a significant part of the imperialist aspirations of the Kingdom of Italy on the eastern Adriatic coast was realised. The rebellion of a part of the population against the NDH contained at the same time Greater Serbian Chetnik elements and those channeled under the leadership of the Communist Party of Yugoslavia. In such circumstances, in order to obtain a motive for the concrete occupation of the Croatian coastal zone, and at the same time trying to suppress the spread of the partisan movement, the Italian military authorities started a cooperation action with the Chetniks and pro-Chetnik groups. In mid-1942, relations with the Chetniks were determined on the basis of the Zagreb Agreement, as a result of which many Chetnik units became part of the Voluntary Anti-Communist Militia (MVAC). The MVAC units were an integral part of the Italian army, and as such were paid, supervised and supplied with food and ammunition by the Italian military authorities. In addition to the NDH, the MVAC operated in Slovenia and Montenegro, that is, in the entire area under the command of the Second Army of the Royal Italian Army. Given that the majority of the MVAC was made up of former Chetniks, it also served as a basis for the spread of the Chetnik movement. Following the decision to disarm the MVAC units on 1 June 1943, a large part of the Chetnik groups took refuge beyond the reach of the local authorities and tried to find new ways to remain a relevant factor in the sequence of turbulent events that would affect the described area.