At the start of the campaign, the Australian Army had been the only ground force engaging in combat with the Japanese in the region. By the end, though, the involvement of US forces in the region had increased as the US Army took over responsibility for the main Allied effort from the Australians. Elsewhere, the 7th Division's advance towards the Finisterre Range saw the capture of Shaggy Ridge and a subsequent advance towards Bogadjim and then Madang, which fell in April, to troops from the 11th Division who had taken over from the 7th Division. With the capture of Madang, the Allied hold on the Huon Peninsula was confirmed, bringing both the Huon Peninsula and Markham Valley campaigns to a close. In July and August 1944, US forces subsequently clashed with Japanese forces, including some of those that had escaped from the Huon Peninsula, around the Driniumor River. Meanwhile, the Australian Army's efforts in the Pacific were scaled back, and it was not until late 1944 and early 1945, when several campaigns were launched in Bougainville, New Britain, Aitape–Wewak and Borneo, that it undertook major campaigns against the Japanese again.