On 14 September, as the battle at Ioribaiwa commenced, Horii was at Nauro working on a plan for the attack on Port Moresby, due to take place in November provided Guadalcanal was taken first and reinforcements were forthcoming. The part to be played by the expected reinforcements is unclear, but Horii anticipated that 144th Regiment would pin the Australians, now on Imita Ridge to his front, while 41st Regiment, most of which would have to be brought up from the rear, would march west then south and take Port Moresby’s airfields via the Goldie and Brown Rivers. Two days later, as Ioribaiwa concluded, all had changed. Horii received an order from Seventeenth Army to send the elements of 41st Regiment then in the mountains back to Giruwa – a clear sign that there would not be an attack on Port Moresby any time soon. A week later Horii was ordered to withdraw his whole force: ‘The commander of the South Seas Force will assemble his main strength in the Isurava and Kokoda areas and secure these as a base for future offensives. In addition the defences in the Buna area will be strengthened.’