Autumn had arrived, and the corn harvest was in full swing. Many fields were already bare, and each day, there were more and more heaps of corn stalks lying in the fields. This prompted the leadership of the Northern Banat Partisan Detachment to seriously consider how to enter the winter with such a large unit, survive, and save as many people as possible. On the other hand, the goal was to prolong the armed struggle during the winter period. Therefore, it was necessary to carry out a reorganization that would be most suitable for the given time of year and the terrain, which, after the crops had been harvested, stretched out for tens of kilometers.
The enemy's intentions at that time were clear: They were waiting for the harvest to be finished (corn), actively encouraging peasants, and then planning a general assault on the partisans. In this regard, the occupiers were making extensive preparations, hoping for success, as they had been unable to seriously threaten the liberating forces of Northern Banat until October and November.
After several meetings devoted to the detachment's survival in Banat, and at the initiative and suggestion of the District Committee of the Communist Party of Yugoslavia (KPJ), the detachment's command decided to propose temporary relocation to Fruška Gora. On this terrain, the Banat partisans would join the struggle of the people of Srem, where there were more opportunities to preserve the detachment as a whole and continue the fight in Banat the following year.
The plan seemed good and acceptable, but the crossing of the Danube posed several difficulties. The command presented this proposal to the fighters. Except for a few individual objections, the proposal was accepted in its entirety, and preparations for this important and strenuous movement began the very next day. The march route looked like this: at the first twilight, the detachment would head towards Petrovgrad. During the night, they would reach the area south of Stajićevo, where preparations would be made for crossing the Begej River. From there, they would travel overnight to the Danube between Perlez and Čenta, where, during the following day, they would secure crossing into Srem, with the help of fishing boats and other transport means. The detachment’s command would oversee the rest of the details.
A couple of days before the march began, the fighters held meetings in their localities with activists to inform them of the decision that the detachment had to leave Banat, but for the sake of secrecy, the actual route was not disclosed. They were told that the detachment was heading to Serbia and intended to cross the Danube near Kovin. These meetings also served as farewell gatherings from comrades and friends in the villages. In Dragutinovo and Beodra, the key figures were Klima, Laza, Arkadije, Bracika, Selika, and Dragan Marković. The meeting with the local comrades was held at "Sitari," near the bočarski road.
In addition to the decision to cross the Danube, Klima tasked the comrades with urgently building shelters for illegal activities. It was decided that every activist should have a shelter of their own, and that a larger number should be built in uncompromised houses, especially on the farms. A list was even made that evening of where shelters should be built for illegal activities, such as: at Milan Veskov's farm, at Sava Pajić's farm, in the village near Laza Terzin, Milan Čolakov, Milorad Stanaćeva, Velja Brustula, and in other places in the village and surrounding fields. Klima drew the design of an underground shelter on the ground and explained several times how the entrance should be arranged so that it would appear inconspicuous from the outside.
Around midnight, as they prepared to move towards Ostrvo, the fighters bid farewell to their close comrades.
At the end of September, one evening, the detachment set off towards Petrovgrad, leaving their beloved camp at Ostrvo with heavy hearts. After a tiring march, they arrived at a designated spot and camped in a small field of unharvested corn southeast of Petrovgrad. During the day, a certain Arsa, a fighter of the detachment, went to check the possibility of crossing the Begej. His carelessness led to the discovery of the partisans' position by the enemy. Early in the afternoon, a fascist vehicle appeared nearby. The fighters opened fire on it without hesitation, and the vehicle retreated.
The partisans knew that the enemy would soon arrive with stronger forces, so they moved a few kilometers east into a larger cornfield. Around 5 p.m., three trucks from the fascist police surrounded the location where the partisans had been, but by that time, they were no longer there. This marked the end of the first day of the march towards Srem.
The oppressive evening descended upon the field. The command decided to change the course of movement. That night, the detachment bypassed Petrovgrad to the north, crossed the Petrovgrad-Aradac road, and headed towards Perlez.
During the march that night, two fighters disappeared: Milan Trajlov from Beodra and a man from Kumanovo, apparently demoralized by the early difficulties of the march. They had shown wavering attitudes back at Ostrvo when it was announced that the detachment would be moved to Fruška Gora.
Before dawn, the detachment decided to stay in a suitable place between Čenta and Perlez. The whole day passed exhausting without food or water, as the sun relentlessly beat down. During the day, certain fighters tried to make contact with fishermen to secure boats. However, this was difficult, as even the few fishermen they found refused to help, claiming that many fascist patrols were patrolling the embankment. Nothing else remained but to proceed with the crossing of the Danube without much preparation and little hope for success.
Around 9 p.m., a cautious movement towards the Danube was initiated. Upon reaching the embankment, someone suddenly opened fire on the fighters from close range. Chaos ensued, and the machine gunner Draga Stanaćeva opened fire randomly. Several shots from rifles rang out from various directions in close proximity. Amid the confusion, someone ordered a retreat from the embankment. In an instant, the detachment broke up into several groups, which retreated towards Perlez.
In this encounter, the Dragutinovo partisan Živa Lejić lost his life. The remaining fighters from Dragutinovo were in one group heading towards Ostrvo, except for Dragomir Pajić, who, during the clash on the embankment, moved towards the Danube and hid in the willows until dawn. When daylight broke, he encountered Srem fishermen and crossed over to Srem with them.
It was later revealed that the unfortunate conflict between the partisans on the Danube had occurred because an unknown group of partisans from Southern Banat, intending to cross the Danube, accidentally encountered the Northern Banat fighters and, mistaking them for Germans, opened fire on them. As a result, neither group managed to cross into Fruška Gora.
Two days later, the Dragutinovo fighters, along with Klima, were in the fields of their native village. They could no longer stay in the cornfields, as part of the crop had been harvested, and the remaining unharvested corn had been knocked to the ground by strong winds. Therefore, the partisans decided to disperse among the farms and houses in the village, which they did after a meeting with the local activists.
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