sent to the Kaponga Box for a period to undertake garrison duties and construction tasks, before undertaking manoeuvres with the rest of the 2nd New Zealand Division around Baggush in October in preparation for their deployment to Libya as part of Operation Crusader, which began in mid-November. After taking part in the fighting in the Western Desert, the 22nd Battalion was withdrawn to Kabrit where it received a batch of 200 reinforcements to replace its losses in Libya, and undertook further training. In April 1942, the battalion was deployed to Syria along with the rest of the 2nd New Zealand Division, where they formed part of the Allied garrison that had been established there at the conclusion of the Syria–Lebanon campaign. Occupying positions at Alfrine, near Aleppo, the battalion was tasked with constructing defences and garrisoning the area in order to deter an attack through Turkey into Syria. They remained there until June 1942, when the New Zealanders were moved back to Egypt following German successes in the Western Desert. They subsequently took part in the fighting in the First Battle of El Alamein, including a disastrous action at Ruweisat Ridge where, after their anti-tank guns had been knocked out, over 350 members of the battalion were taken prisoner after being surrounded by German armour. Following these heavy losses, the battalion was reconstituted at Maadi, before returning to the line, rejoining the rest of the 2nd New Zealand Division around Ruweisat in late August 1942; during this time the battalion was briefly detached to the British 132nd Brigade, before returning to the 5th New Zealand Brigade at the start of September. It subsequently took part in the Second Battle of El Alamein before being withdrawn back to Maadi in November 1942. At Maadi, the battalion was converted to a motor role – the only motorised battalion in the 2nd New Zealand Division – receiving extra Bren carriers and machine guns for its final campaign of the war: Italy. It was also reorganised at this time, with the four rifle companies being replaced by three numerically designated motor companies, although ultimately, the Italian terrain negated much of the battalion's mobility. Embarking in mid-October 1943, the battalion subsequently fought in a number of battles as it crossed the Sangro River and fought around Cassino, before advancing towards Florence and then up the Adriatic coast. In the final months of the war, the