 Ramba uchinyora ndima iyi - Pakutanga kwa1942, vaJapan vakanga vapinda muhondo, uye hurumende yeAustralia yakasarudza kudzosa mamwe mauto ayo kubva kuMiddle East kudzokera kuAustralia kunosimbisa kuzvidzivirira kwayo. 216th yakatanga pakupera kwaJanuary 1942, uye yakadzokera kuAustralia, ichienda kuAdelaide muna March 1942 mushure mekumira kwenguva pfupi muFremantle. Nguva yekugadziriswazve yakatevera sezvo ivo vakagadzirirwa kuomerwa kwehondo yemusango, panguva iyo Potts akaendesa kutungamira kwebattalion kuna Lieutenant Colonel Albert Caro; zvisinei, mamiriro ezvinhu muPacific panguva iyoyo aive asina tariro kune veAustralia, zvichitevera kukunda kweJapan muMalaya, Singapore, Rabauluye Ambon, uye kurwisana paKokoda Track, uye nokudaro mauto eAIF 2 akadzoka achibva kuMiddle East aiva nenguva shoma yokugadzirira hondo yavo inotevera. 216th yakasvika muNew Guinea, ichidzika muPort Moresby pakati paAugust 1942. Gare gare mumwedzi iwoyo yakazvipira kuhondo, uye yakabatana nekurwisa kudzoka pasi peKokoda Track, ichimhanyiswa mumutsara wakakomberedza Alola kuzadza mukaha mushure mekunge 53rd Battalion yadzokera kubva kuIsurava. Muhondo yeMission Ridge mukutanga kwaGunyana yakatambura kurasikirwa kukuru mushure mekukomberedzwa nemaJapan uye kuitisa kurwa kwekudzokera kuImita Ridge. Mushure mekusunungurwa kwayo pakati paGunyana, nhengo dzakasara dzechikwata dzakabatana neavo ve2 14th Battalion kuti vagadzire chikamu chakabatanidzwa kwenguva pfupi, sezvo chikwata ichi chakatambura kurasikirwa kwakawanda mukudzokera kumashure zvekuti chakaderera pasimba rinoshanda revarume vangangoita mazana maviri; iyo 2 14th yakanga yatamburawo zvakanyanya. 