While the battle raged across the Owen Stanley Mountains, Japanese engineers built fortifications around Buna, Gona and Sanananda. Defeated thirty miles from their goal of Port Moresby, the Japanese retreated to their fortified beachheads, and dug in.

The battles that raged around Buna, Gona and Sanananda between Nov 19, 1942 and Jan 22, 1943 were among the most difficult and costly of the war in Papua New Guinea. About 1,300 Australians, 1,000 Americans and an unknown number of Papua New Guineans were killed in action or died of wounds, or illness, with more wounded or suffering tropical diseases. 

More than 6,000 Japanese were killed.