However, the regiment had been withdrawn from the front line by the time the Second Battle of El Alamein was fought in October 1942. By January 1943, RHQ with 43 (CoLY) and 197 LAA Btys with 20 Bofors guns was stationed in Egypt under 21 AA Bde, defending the base areas of Cairo, Port Said, Suez and the Canal, while 44 (Finsbury Rifles) LAA Bty with 12 Bofors was under 18 AA Bde, which was stretched between Alexandria and Mersa Matruh, protecting landing grounds of the Desert Air Force. The whole regiment was under 21 AA Bde in the Canal Zone in May when the Tunisian campaign ended. In January 1944 it was under 17 AA Bde, still defending the North African supply ports of Tobruk, Benghazi and Tripoli.