The regiment subsequently undertook three major battles in the North African campaign, seeing action during the Siege of Tobruk and then the First and Second Battles of El Alamein. These were punctuated by a period of garrison duty in Lebanon between January and June 1942, where the regiment formed part of the occupation force established there after the defeat of Vichy French forces during the Syria-Lebanon Campaign, tasked with defending against a possible German attack over the Caucacus towards the strategically important Middle East oilfields. During the regiment's involvement in the fighting around Tobruk, it arrived at the port on in mid-May without any guns, and was allocated to the western sector, where they took over an assortment of British and captured Italian guns. This included several 60-pounders and 4.5-inch howitzers. According to "The Mercury" newspaper, during the siege the regiment "spent more days in action than any other Australian artillery unit". When they were finally relieved and evacuated from the besieged port – around September as part of the 24th Infantry Brigade – the regiment left its motley assortment of equipment to the British unit that replaced them – the 144th Field Regiment – and subsequently adopted the 144th's complete set of twenty-four 25-pounders and 36 tractors.