invasion passed, the battalion was transferred to Egypt and then, after just three weeks, onto Greece, which was already engaged against the Italians in Albania, and where a German attack was expected. Arriving in Athens in early April on board the Hellas, the 22nd Battalion deployed forward to Katerini initially, but just after the German invasion of Greece it was pulled back to the Olympus Pass, where the 5th Brigade established blocking positions. The subsequent fighting was short and the battalion saw little action as the Allied force was quickly pushed back and evacuated by sea around the end of April. Despite the confusion of the evacuation, the battalion managed to keep most of its stores and equipment, although several vitally important radio set were abandoned due to conflicting orders. Evacuated to Crete, the 22nd Battalion was pressed into the defence of the strategically important island which sat on a vital sea lane of communication across the Mediterranean. On 20 May 1941, the Germans launched an airborne invasion of the island, and during the subsequent Battle of Crete the 22nd Battalion was tasked with the defence of Maleme airfield and the overlooking hill, Point 107. Forced to disperse the companies of his battalion widely to cover his positions, Andrew lost contact with most of his units after German paratroopers began landing in the area on 20 May. Failing to receive any support from his brigade commander following a request for assistance, and fearing most of his command overrun after a failed counterattack by his small reserve, he withdrew his remaining units. As it happened, most of his forward companies remained intact and were subsequently able to withdraw after finding they had been abandoned. Andrew was criticised for his withdrawal, which led to the loss of Maleme airfield. This was a significant factor in allowing the German forces to become established on Crete. He and the surviving elements of his battalion were later evacuated from the island. North Africa, Syria and Italy After the battalion's experience on Crete, in June 1941 it was reconstituted at Garawi, a camp outside Alexandria, where a batch of 365 reinforcements arrived from New Zealand to bring it back up to full strength. After a period of training to ease the new arrivals into the battalion, they moved to Kabrit where the rest of the 5th Brigade began more complex collective training. After this, they were