During World War II, Syrmia was a part of The Independent State of Croatia led by the fascist Ustaša regime which implemented genocide of Serbs on its territory.
The historical Serb village of Ivanci, which was located south of Ilača, was destroyed on 30 November 1943 while 73 inhabitants were killed in half an hour.
[2] Surviving villagers found safety in Šidski Banovci, Tovarnik and Ilača.
The commemorative site was constructed in the old village in 1956 but it was devastated in 1991 in the early stages of the Croatian War of Independence.
[3] In 2012 the non-governmental organization "Ivanci" was established in the village of Šidski Banovci aimed at reconstruction of the monument in the memorial area, collection of materials for the publication of a monograph and organization of commemorations.