The Japanese forces opposing the Australians belonged to the 6th Division , under the command of Lieutenant General Tsutomu Akinaga . Akinaga had been ordered to delay the Australian advance between the Hongorai and the Hari for as long as possible , and with these orders in mind he had installed a number of strong points along the Australian 's expected line of advance . The division 's infantry had suffered heavily in the previous battle around Slater 's Knoll and as a consequence , several units had to be reorganized or amalgamated . The front line positions were assigned to the 6th Field Artillery Regiment , while the 13th Infantry Regiment was to hold five strongpoints to their rear along and astride the Buin Road , designated ' A ' through to ' E ' . The 6th Field and 4th Field Heavy Artillery Regiments both held strongpoints further back , designated ' F ' and ' G ' . The 23rd Infantry Regiment was placed in the rear , where it was being reconstituted following losses suffered during the attack on Slater 's Knoll .