The central authorities of both the Ottoman Empire and Austria have been reluctant to fight each other after several campaigns on Hungarian and Moldovian lands and four renewals of the 1547 truce.

However, from either side large scale raids have been mounted into each their enemy's territories.

There had been numerous raids into Hungary by Akinci, the irregular Turkish light cavalry; on the other hand, Christian Uskoks (Catholic refugees from Croatia, Dalmatia, Serbia and Albania) have been encouraged to conduct raids into Ottoman territory on the Balkans.

According to Stanford J. Shaw, in his History of the Ottoman empire and Modern Turkey. Vol. 1: Empire of Gazis (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press 1976 ISBN 0-521-29163-1 p.184), "These Uskok raids became so damaging that the Bosnian provincial forces replied with a savage raid across the Urina and Sava, capturing a number of major Habsburg forts and taking so much booty”, that the Habsburg empire had to react.

...Bosnia. (This settlement forms the basis of the northern border of modern Bosnia.)

Austria had seized more territory after invading Bosnia again in 1788, but it yields up its gains at the peace settlement in 1791.

… and their central command withdraws into the mountains Bosnia and Herzegovina, where the workers and intellectuals who have formed the core of the movement join forces with communist units from Montenegro.

They also recruit heavily among minority groups—including Serbs—who are suffering persecution by the Ustasha within the puppet Independent State of Croatia, which at this time incorporates Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The Partisans attract enough recruits to designate themselves the People's Liberation Army (PLA), with elite Proletarian Brigades selected for their fighting abilities, ideological commitment, and all-Yugoslav character.

Tito’s Partisans, anxious to gain political legitimacy, demonstrate the strength of their movement by convening the first meeting of the Anti-Fascist Council for the National Liberation of Yugoslavia (Antifasisticko vece narodnog oslobodjenja Jugoslavije, AVNOJ) at Bihac on November 26-27, 1942, to coordinate the military campaigns of Tito's Partisans and the administrative activities of local “liberation committees.”

A committee of communist and non-communist Partisan representatives from all over Yugoslavia, AVNOJ, a self-declared “temporary government,” links the acknowledgment of the ethnic plurality of the peoples of Yugoslavia with the reconstitution of Yugoslavia as a federation.

AVNOJ becomes the political umbrella organization for the people's liberation committees, which the partisans establish to administer territories under their control.

AVNOJ proclaims support for democracy, the rights of ethnic groups, the inviolability of private property, and freedom of individual economic initiative.

Stalin reportedly bars Tito from declaring AVNOJ a provisional government.

At this time, communist forces in Serbia proper are relatively weak.

In occupied Yugoslavia, the participation of non-communists allows a National Liberation Movement to be announced that calls upon all nationalities within Yugoslavia to join the struggle to liberate the country from Axis occupation.

This broad appeal wins support for the Partisans from a populace grown weary of ethnic hatreds.

The Germans and Italians, fearful that a powerful resistance force might encourage the Allies to invade the Balkan Peninsula, lead seven major offensives against the PLA in 1943.

The Partisans, fearing that an Allied invasion will benefit the Cetnici, attack Mihajlovic’s forces.

In March, the Partisans outmaneuver the German army and defeat the Cetnici decisively in Herzegovina and Montenegro.