After the Battle of Brigade Hill was fought further inland, the Yazawa detachment made its way to the mouth of the Girua River (near Buna), where it secured a landing of the supplies and reinforcements, starting from 23 September 1942. On 29 October 1942, the bulk of the Yazawa detachment took up defensive positions inland near Oivi Creek, to cover the retreat of 144th regiment and other units. The Australians attacked with superior forces on 4 November 1942 during the Battle of Oivi-Gorari, mauling and routing the Yazawa detachment. About 900 combatants left of Yazawa detachment narrowly escaped the encirclement and run away to the heavily wooded Ajura Kijala Range to the north-east on 10 November 1942. The last rearguard covering the Oivi Creek was wiped out 13 November 1942. The Yazawa escapees reached the mouth of the Kumusi River, north of Gona, by 28 November 1942, but the detachment was not combat-ready because of the loss of most of its heavy equipment and the high incidence of malaria amongst its troops. The majority of the malaria-weakened combatants were transported by landing craft to the mouth of Girua River on 29 November 1942, losing hundreds to the Allied air attacks in sea. The more healthy ones joined them after an overland march on 2 December 1942. On 31 December 1942, Colonel Yazawa ordered a desperate rescue mission to the Buna with the composite unit gathered from the jumble of shattered Japanese detachments. Due to the fall of Buna on 2 January 1943 they aborted the mission, but the Yazawa detachment still clashed with Allied combat patrols and rescued about 190 combatants escaping from Buna. As the retreat to Gona on 20 January 1943 failed, the Yazawa detachment ceased to exist, with only a few survivors reaching Japanese lines.