following their defeat on the driniumor river in july, the japanese commander, general hatazo adachi, withdrew his forces from their forward positions and in the lull that followed, adachi's forces focused upon foraging operations into the torricelli mountains and wewak as hunger and disease began to take its toll on the japanese force. during this period there had been very little contact between the japanese and us forces in the area, and us forces had remained on a primarily defensive footing, restricting their operations to limited patrols around their position on the driniumor. the japanese for their part, lacking significant air and naval assets, and low on ammunition and other supplies, had also sought to avoid engagement. upon the arrival of the australians, however, the 6th division's commander, major general jack stevens, decided to begin offensive operations, albeit on a limited scale, to clear the japanese forces from the coastal area.