There they linked up with US and Australian forces that had advanced along the coast from the Huon Peninsula, while the remnants of three Japanese divisions withdrew towards Wewak, where further fighting would take place throughout late 1944 and into 1945.

Situated on the north-eastern coast of Papua New Guinea on the Schering Peninsula, which juts out into the northern part of Astrolabe Bay, Madang offers a protected deep-water port open to communication through the Vitiaz Strait and the Bismarck Sea.

The terrain is less rugged than the Finisterre Range to the south and there are no especially high features, although it is more difficult north of the Gogol River, which flows into Astrolabe Bay about halfway along the coast between Bogadjim and Madang.

By October 1943, the next objective for the Australians was Shaggy Ridge, a series of high positions on the inland route from Dumpu to Madang, which was held by Japanese infantry, supported by artillery and engineers.

[6] After the defeat of the Japanese in the Battle of Shaggy Ridge in late January 1944, the remnants of the Japanese 78th Infantry Regiment, assigned to Lieutenant General Shigeru Katagiri's 20th Division, part of Lieutenant General Hatazō Adachi's 18th Army, began a withdrawal from the Finisterre Range and was tasked with reorganising itself around Madang and carrying out delaying actions.

[7] Around the same time, Hidemitsu Nakano's 51st Division, began withdrawing west along the coast from the Finschaffen area, undertaking a difficult march to bypass Saidor following the landing there by US troops.

The brigade's third infantry battalion, the 24th, was held back in reserve maintaining a defensive posture around Shaggy Ridge, while also pushing forward on the Australians' western flank along the Ramu River towards Kesawai and Koropa.

[8] In the early stages of the pursuit, the Australians sent long-range patrols forward from the Finisterres, while two battalions from the US 32nd Infantry Division landed around the Yalau Plantation as US forces advanced east from Saidor.

They began patrolling operations around the coast to the east and west, fighting minor skirmishes, and pushed towards Bau Plantation and Yangalum, on the eastern side of the Australian advance with the intention of linking up.

Shortly afterwards, the 8th Infantry Brigade's headquarters entered Madang Harbour aboard several landing craft, escorted by the destroyer Vendetta and the corvette Bundaberg.

Meanwhile, the 35th Infantry Battalion secured a large quantity of abandoned Japanese stores at Hansa Bay, and pushed patrols towards the Sepik River.

[15] The Bundaberg also landed a party of sailors on Sek Island, firing a heavy bombardment which wiped out the small group of defending Japanese.

[24] The 30th pushed on to the deep-water port of Alexishafen the following day,[17][23] suffering several casualties from improvised explosive devices that were planted along the road by the withdrawing Japanese.

[28] In the aftermath of the campaign the Australian 5th Division was tasked with providing a garrison force for the north-east coast of New Guinea, patrolling the area around Madang, which would be built up as a base with the intention of being able to supply 35,000 troops for subsequent operations.

[9] In late 1944, US troops carried out a landing at Aitape and began operations to isolate the Japanese garrison there as part of the Western New Guinea campaign, later clashing around the Driniumor River.

[7] They were subsequently relieved in late 1944 by Australian troops from the 6th Division, which launched the Aitape–Wewak campaign, fighting to secure the airfield and then clear the Japanese from the inland areas, patrolling through the Torricelli and Prince Alexander mountain ranges until the end of the war in August 1945.