28th (Māori) Battalion

E176795

The 28th (Māori) Battalion was a distinguished New Zealand infantry unit of predominantly Māori soldiers that fought with great acclaim in key campaigns during the Second World War.

All labels observed (2)

Label Occurrences
28th (Māori) Battalion canonical 2
Maori Battalion 1

How this entity was disambiguated

Statements (46)

Predicate Object
instanceOf Māori military unit
New Zealand military unit
infantry battalion
allegiance Commonwealth of Nations
surface form: British Commonwealth
branch New Zealand Army
casualties suffered proportionally high casualties compared with other New Zealand units
commemoratedBy Māori Battalion Association
commemoratedIn New Zealand war memorials
conflict Battle of Crete
Greek Campaign
Italian campaign
surface form: Italian Campaign

North African campaign
surface form: North African Campaign

World War II
surface form: Second World War
country New Zealand
decorations multiple Distinguished Conduct Medals
multiple Military Medals
disbanded 1946
ethnicComposition predominantly Māori soldiers
formed 1940
garrison New Zealand (during formation and training)
hasHeritage Māori cultural traditions
language English
Māori
motto Ake Ake Kia Kaha E
nickname 28th (Māori) Battalion self-linksurface differs
surface form: Maori Battalion
notableCommander George Dittmer
Sir James Henare
notableEngagement Battle of Monte Cassino
surface form: Battle of Cassino

Battle of El Alamein
Battle of Minqar Qaim
Battle of Tebaga Gap
notableFor courage in battle
heavy casualty rates
high combat effectiveness
parentOrganization New Zealand Army
surface form: New Zealand Military Forces
partOf 2nd New Zealand Division
raisedFor 2nd New Zealand Division
surface form: Second New Zealand Expeditionary Force
recruitmentBase Māori tribal areas of New Zealand
role frontline infantry operations
size battalion
theatreOfOperations Crete
Greece
Italy
North Africa
type infantry
used haka as a morale and identity expression

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (3)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

New Zealand forces notableUnit 28th (Māori) Battalion
2nd New Zealand Division notableUnit 28th (Māori) Battalion
28th (Māori) Battalion nickname 28th (Māori) Battalion self-linksurface differs
this entity surface form: Maori Battalion