 A division developed between the uprising 's communist leadership and the nationalists participating . The nationalists recognised the uprising had been crushed and wanted to stop fighting , while the Partisans were determined to continue the struggle . In late 1941 , the nationalists contacted the Italians and offered to help them fight the communists , who had since been renamed Partisans . The nationalists — including Đurišić , who was popular in his own <unk> clan of northern Montenegro — subsequently withdrew into the hinterland . They sought to avoid provoking the Italians and protect the mountain villages if they were attacked . In northern Montenegro , there was a marked distinction between the communists and nationalists . The nationalists had closer ties with Serbia and possessed a frontier mentality towards Muslims . The communists wished to continue the uprising by turning against their class enemies . Ustaše manipulation of the Muslims in the Sandžak and the expulsion of Serbs from areas annexed by Albania made Đurišić and his Chetniks impatient to continue fighting the Italians . They subsequently turned on the Muslims and Albanians in the region . The uprising continued with reduced intensity until December 1941 . In 1941 , Đurišić was awarded the Order of Karađorđe 's Star by the Yugoslav government @-@ in @-@ exile on the recommendation of Chetnik leader Draža Mihailović . 
