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Liberation of Karlovac and Ljubljana
As was planned, two partisan depatchemnts departed from Maribor and Zagreb to incorporate western territories into the federation. The first response they encountered was that of indifference. The communities just acros Sava were always tightly knit with the state even when they did not constitute a part of it. Trade was common and they could always count on Yugoslav People's Army to protect them from fascist raids. YPA set up strongholds in Karlovac and Celje. Both cities were greatly ruined in the war and were further damaged by scavengers but they still offered a defendable central position from which to expand influence.

Beyond Kupa and in the mountains of Slovenia was the land that was constantly in the sights of bandits. What few people that lived here were relieved to be under protection of YPA. Most land was rather desolate, but interestingly enough, there was a rather large community living in the valley of old Ogulin. And of Ogulin, there was nothing to ramain of. It wasn't that it was destroyed and in ruins, but the locals have completely disassembled the city to build up a their new towns and villages. It appeared that the valley was under constant threat of raids coming from the mountains of Mala Kapela. A local bandit force with close ties to the fascists has established itself there. The operation that followed would be the first of many battles for a lot of new recruits in the YPA. Opportunistic and poorly equipped, the bandits retreated quickly when it first appeared they were losing. A smaller detachement was also sent to the west to connect old settlements across Gorski Kotar and to the sea.

A similar story happened in Slovenia. There was a smaller farming community in the valley south of Ljubljana under threat of bandits from Kranj and mountains to the south. Here, YPA had a tougher job considering the bandits couldn't rely on a government to take them in but in the end they were forced out.

Liberation of Lika
The post-war period was extremely chaotic. So much that a group of old Croatian fascists was able to seize control in the mountainous province of Lika. The Independent State of Croatia headed by the Provisional Liberatory Sabor and the Ustashe – Croatian Revolutionary Organisation is a bandit state. It largely subsits on raiding their peaceful neighbours and extorting their disloyal populace. Its supposed goal is to carry out a liberation of all Croatian lands and to drive the „Bolshevist Serbian tyrants“ out. In reality it is a failed state that shall end at once.

The military operation began by YPA breaching into the fields around Križpolje in the north and from there the forces would branch out to storm the fascist stronghold in Senj in the west and to gain a forward position near Otočac in the east. The battle for Senj was a short one as the YPA had a superior position compared to the coastal city and a benefit of having rebellious locals on their side. The fascist forces were forced into a retreat south. Here the YPA forces split yet again with a part following the fascist retreat along the coast and a part joining the forces in the east.

The battle of Otočac would be the second major battle of the war. Yet again the YPA had superior terrain on their side in addition to numerical superiority. The battle for the city lasted a bit longer as the miltary forces here were larger but the fascist militia was forced into a retreat south where it met the coming reinforcement. What followed was a short engagement which resulted in a complete fascist defeat.

Here the forces split yet again. The main part would take control of the hills north of the main valley in Lika. It would remain there, waiting for the reinforcements from Slovenia. The other part would take towards the east and then towards the south where it would lead a skirmish against local Ustashe.

When the Slovenian reinforcements arrive, the YPA launched one final offensive. Engaging in constant combat, it pushed the fascist forces south towards their capital – Gospić. Here, the biggest and the final battle of the war would play out. Gospić is not a large city. It is a sprawling town, and YPA, pushin from the north and northeast had no trouble taking control of northern parts of the town. The battle dragged on as a lot fascists would not admit defeat and prompted for a heroic last stand. The final nail in their coffin was set when the forces from the east arrived and managed to surround the city. The Independet State of Croatia, a bandit statelet was no more. As Lika was being cleaned up by the YPA, the small detachement in the west finished its skirmish in Starigrad where the last remaining organised fascist forced was destroyed.