After training in Australia, in January 1941 the battalion was shipped to the Middle East, embarking from Fremantle, to join other elements of the 9th Division that were completing their training. After landing at Port Tewfik, the battalion established a camp at Khassa, north of Gaza, from where it undertook further training in Palestine before deploying to Libya. While the majority of the 9th Division moved into Cyrenaica in March 1941 following the departure of the 6th Division to Greece, the 2/28th, lacking transport, remained in Tobruk, on the border, along with the rest of the 24th Brigade. Following the arrival of German forces in North Africa to reinforce their Italian allies, the British were pushed onto the defensive and they were forced to withdraw from Benghazi to Tobruk, which subsequently fell under siege. There, the 2/28th helped defend the vital port for over six months, alternating between the main defence line and the rear areas, and conducting patrols, before being withdrawn via the sea to Alexandria in late September 1941, and then being moved further back to Palestine for a period of rest.