The map illustrates the travels of the 28th (Māori) Battalion from its arrival in Egypt in March 1941 to its departure from Italy in December 1945. The battalion was sent to the UK in 1940 to guard against potential Nazi invasion, then transported to Egypt. Its first battles were against the German attacks on Greece and Crete in 1941. After fighting in Libya the battalion was sent to Syria from March to June 1942. It was rushed back to the western desert to defend Egypt, then participated in the victory at El Alamein. The battalion took part in battles that drove the Axis forces from North Africa, then spent a year and a half in hard fighting through Italy, where the fighting ceased in May 1945. The Māori Battalion arrived home in January 1946.