After the war, Serbian military devised a backup plan to disable the canal. The tugging locomotives with freight cars were to be crashed into the canal, with cars being filled with cement. Above them, two barges filled with stones were to be demolished in explosion and to fall down on the train compositions, blocking the canal. The barges were to be tugged by the "Vitez" tugboat, from Tekija. Other railway and canal facilities were also planned for demolition. After the Yugoslav coup d'état that toppled the pro-German government on 27 March 1941, the charges for demolition were set, as it was expected war might broke out any moment.