With the capture of Madang, the Allies finally effectively secured the Huon Peninsula; nevertheless, the Allies were unable to prevent the Japanese defenders from withdrawing and, as a result, they were unsuccessful in completely destroying them. Following the fall of Madang, the remnants of the Japanese 18th Army eventually withdrew to the Wewak area with the intention of falling back to Hollandia. That base fell before they could arrive after the Allies launched Operations Reckless and Persecution, and consequently they remained in the Wewak area. US forces from the 41st Infantry Division subsequently landed at Aitape and in mid- to late 1944, US and Japanese forces clashed during the Battle of Driniumor River. In late 1944, the Australian 6th Division arrived to relieve the US garrison, and the Australian forces subsequently launched the Aitape–Wewak campaign, fighting a campaign to secure the airfield and then clear the Japanese from the inland areas patrolling through the Torricelli and Prince Alexander mountain ranges.