 After Allied landings near Lae in the first week of September, the 18th Army commander, Hatazō Adachi, ordered Nakano to abandon Salamaua and subsequently his forces withdrew to the north disinvesting the town and transferring between 5,000 and 6,000 troops by barge, while other troops marched out along the coastal road.The 5th Division subsequently occupied Salamaua on 11 September, securing its airfield.The fighting between April and September in the Salamaua region cost the Australians 1,083 casualties, including 343 dead.