Anti - Communist Volunteer Militia The Anti - Communist Volunteer Militia ( ) were local armed auxiliary units composed of Chetniks and Slovene anti - Partisans in Italian - occupied parts of Yugoslavia . The same name was contemporaneously used to designate both similar Slovenian auxiliary units whom sided with the Italian authorities in the Italian - annexed part of Slovenia and also some Montenegrin auxiliaries in Montenegro . History . The Anti Communist Volunteer Militia was formally established by the Italo - Croatian Roatta - Pavelić Official Agreement of the 19 June 1942 . On 23 June 1942 , assisted by Chetnik leader Ilija Trifunović - Birčanin , the Italians set up the first units of Anti - Communist Volunteer Militia , dedicated to " the annihilation of communism " and under Italian control . In 1942 and 1943 , an overwhelming proportion of Chetniks in Italian - occupied parts of the NDH acted as Italian auxiliary forces in the MVAC and were equipped with arms , ammunition and clothing by the Italians . According to General Giacomo Zanussi there were between 19 , 000 and 20 , 000 Chetniks in the MVAC which were supplied with 30 , 000 rifles , 500 machine guns , 100 mortars , 15 pieces of artillery , 250 , 000 hand grenades , 7 million rounds , and 7 , 000 - 8 , 000 pairs of shoes . From 1941 local auxiliaries already operated with the Italian forces commands in Montenegro , Bosnia and Herzegovina and Lika from 1942 also in Dalmatia . It was in Dalmatia that those units were initially named for the first time as " " Anti Communist Volunteer Bands " " , a name who - later modified - became of general and official use with the reorganization of June 1942 . Chetnik units where legalized by the Italians in the Independent State of Croatia from mid - 1942 . As early as June 1942 , about 4 , 500 Chetniks served in Montenegro , and on February 28 , 1943 about 20 , 514 Chetniks served in the territory of the Independent State of Croatia . On 6 August 1942 also the pre - existing - 7 , 000 men strong - local auxiliary military formations of the Italian administered part of Slovenia - the " Guardia Civica " ( " Vaška straža " or Civic ( Village ) Guard ) and the " Legione della Morte " ( " Legija Smrti " or " Legion of Death " also known as " Bela garda " or " White Guard " ) , whose components were enlisted from the members of Slovenian Roman Catholic political parties - were jointly formally renamed by the Italian Supersloda - " Comando Superiore di Slovenia e Dalmazia " as " M . V . A . C . " or " Milizia Volontaria Anti Comunista " despite both of them maintained their different and distinctive characteristics - some or also large part of their previous autonomy - and usually their original names in the common use too . Units . Amongst the irregular Bande who also supported the Italian military commands and civil administration and the regular Bande V . A . C . the more numerous and important was the Orthodox one of Momčilo Đujić , an Orthodox priest and pre - war famous political activist yet known as " Father Fire " for his inflamed sermons . A 780 men - strong battalion of pro - Chetnik Muslims under the leadership of Ismet Popovac , a Muslim physician from Mostar , actively operated with the Italians during 1942 till it was destroyed in action .