 The 25th Infantry Brigade entered Lae on 15 September, just before the 9th Division's 24th Infantry Brigade.The two units linked up that day.While the fall of Lae was clearly a victory for the Allies, and it was achieved more quickly and at lower cost than anticipated, a significant proportion of the Japanese garrison had escaped through the Saruwaged Range, to the north of Lae, and would have to be fought again elsewhere.