Zaire Province Zaire Province Zaire is one of the 18 provinces of Angola. It occupies in the north west of the country and has a population of about 600,000 inhabitants. It is bordered on the west by the Atlantic Ocean, on the north by the Democratic Republic of Congo, on the east by the Uíge Province, and on the south by the Bengo Province. The Kongo people (or Bakongo) occupied the valley of the Congo (or Zaire) River in the mid-thirteenth century, and formed the Kingdom of Kongo, which existed from 1390 until 1891 as an independent state, and until 1914 as
2/27th Battalion (Australia) 2/27th saw heavy fighting as the 21st Brigade led the 7th Division's efforts to capture the high ground around Shaggy Ridge. In mid-October, the 2/27th helped turn back a heavy Japanese counterattack around John's Knoll and Trevor's Ridge, before the 21st Brigade was relieved. Halfway through the campaign, in mid-November, Bishop was replaced as battalion commander by Lieutenant Colonel Keith Picken, and returned to a staff position. Picken subsequently led the battalion throughout the remainder of the war. By early January 1944, the 2/27th was withdrawn from the fighting and in March 1944 it returned to Australia. A further period