 Nyorera kupfuurira kweiyi ndima - Kusvika kuMiddle East mukupera kwaNovember, battalion yakaenderera mberi nekudzidziswa padyo neGaza muPalestine, isati yaenda kuPort Said pakati paDecember kunobvisa varwi ikoko. Vadzokera kuPalestine mukuvamba kwaJanuary vakaita mitambo yakati kusvikira pakupera kwaFebruary. Muna Kurume 1941 mabhatani e9th Division akatumirwa murenje kunobvisa 6th Division iyo yaive ichiendeswa kuGreece; sechikamu cheiyi 217th yakasungwa Mersa Brega, padyo neTripoli. Nokukurumidza pashure peizvi, vaGermany vakadzika mauto muAfrica kuti vasimbise vaItaly uye mauto eBritain muLibya akamanikidzwa kudzokera shure kubva kuBenghazi kuenda kuguta rechiteshi rinokosha reTobruk. 217th yakadzokera shure sechikamu chekudzokera shure uye yakazotora chikamu mukudzivirirwa kweTobruk, achigara ikoko kwemwedzi inenge minomwe panguva iyo vashandi vebhata revarwi vaichinjana pakati pekufambisa mapurisa munzvimbo isina munhu, kupamba, kutora chinzvimbo chikuru chekudzivirira uye kushanda munzvimbo dzekumashure. Pausiku hwaApril 1314, 1941, boka ravaGermany vanenge 30 rakapinda munzvimbo yeAustralia ndokugadzira pfuti dzomumachina sere, zvombo zviviri zvokupfura uye pfuti mbiri dzomunda. Achiona izvi, mutungamiriri wepurotoni aiva pedyo, Lieutenant Austin Mackell, akatanga kurwisa neboka duku revarume raiumbwa nomukuru mukuru mumwe chete nemasoja mashanu. Vachivharwa nemoto kubva panzvimbo yavo kumativi avo, boka duku rakakwanisa kubudirira kurwisa nzvimbo yacho, uye somugumisiro, Corporal John Edmondson, uyo oga akaverengera nhamba yevaGermany pasinei nokukuvadzwa zvakaipisisa, akazopihwa mushure mekufa Victoria Cross, chiremerera chepamusoro chenyika. Yakanga iri mubairo wokutanga wakadaro kunhengo ye2nd AIF. Kurasikirwa kwebattalion panguva yekurwa kwakatenderedza Tobruk, kusanganisira kubviswa pamberi pekukomba, kwaive nevanhu makumi matatu nevaviri vakafa kubva kuzvinhu zvese, 127 vakakuvara uye gumi nevasere vakabatwa. 