In March 1945, partisans from Captain Juozapavičius’s group carried out a daring ambush. At 3 AM, between the villages of Stračiūnai and Barzdžiūnai, these fighters opened fire on NKVD soldiers traveling with seven carts. The battle involved the group’s deputy commander, Sakalas (Vincas Baltulionis), Naikintuvas (Jurgis Barbatavičius), Tarzanas (Bronius Zakarevičius), Voroshilov (Antanas Kleponis), Savukas (Alfonsas Sukarevičius), Giržonas (Antanas Tamulionis), Merkys (Balys Barinas), Beržinis (Bronius Tamkevičius), and Juodvarnis (Liudas Kibildis). The fighting lasted about an hour, resulting in the deaths of five NKVD soldiers.
On April 9, 1945, partisans from Captain Juozapavičius’s squad camped in the Varašiškės forest. At that time, soldiers from the 97th Border Unit discovered a hideout in Vainiūnai village, where Antanas Čmoka, born in 1924, was
hiding. The captured partisan revealed that Juozapavičius's partisans were hiding in the Sarkajiedai forest and led the army there. A shootout began between the partisans and the soldiers, and a pledge of allegiance with 72 signatures was found next to the body of a fallen partisan.
The captured partisan recounted that during the Panaros battle, partisans killed five Red Army soldiers near the Vilkiautiniai cemetery. He also disclosed that two nurses, Ona Erkelevičiūtė and Anelė Bražinskaitė, worked in Juozapavičius’s headquarters, assisting the wounded. He described the locations of the bunkers in the Ručėja forest, where weapons and clothing were hidden. The bunkers, dug 20 meters apart, were located near a lake and connected by a path. The headquarters bunker, where injured partisans were treated, was 2 kilometers from Kibyšiai, in the Varašiškės forest.