Seeing this, the nearest platoon commander, Lieutenant Austin Mackell, launched a counterattack with a small party of men consisting of one corporal and five soldiers. Covered by fire from a position on their flank, the small party was able to successfully attack the position, and as a result, Corporal John Edmondson, who single-handedly accounted for a number of Germans despite being mortally wounded, was later posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross, the nation's highest military decoration. It was the first such award to a member of the 2nd AIF. The battalion's losses during the fighting around Tobruk, including the withdrawal prior to the siege, consisted of 32 dead from all causes, 127 wounded and 14 captured. Following their relief from Tobruk by units of the British 70th Division, the 2/17th Battalion was evacuated by the sea to Alexandria, and then moved to Palestine, arriving there in mid-October, establishing a camp at Julis. Shortly afterwards, a company was detached from the battalion to undertake guard duties in Broumane, in Syria, and in January 1942 the rest of the battalion followed. There, they were tasked with undertaking garrison duties as part of the occupation force that had been established there after the Syria–Lebanon campaign, to defend against a possible German attack on the Allied flank through the Caucasus. Relieving the 2/12th Battalion, the battalion established itself around Afrine, north of Aleppo; in March, after the 2nd New Zealand Division arrived, the battalion moved to Latakia. Later, in July, as Axis forces launched an offensive in the Western Desert that threatened Egypt, during the First Battle of El Alamein the units of the 9th Division were moved back to North Africa to help stem the advance. The 2/17th Battalion subsequently carried out a blocking operation and then occupied a position around Tel el Eisa, from where it conducted patrols and observed German movements. In September, the 2/17th was relieved by the 2/15th Battalion, and went into reserve around Shammama to prepare for further operations. The battalion was subsequently tasked with active patrolling in the area, and clashed with German parties on a number of occasions, while its positions were also heavily shelled on a number of occasions which resulted in a few casualties. Meanwhile, several exercises and other training was undertaken prior to the upcoming offensive. During this time it had an effective strength of 30 officers and 731 other ranks. In late October and early November 1942, the battalion took part in the Second Battle of El Alamein as the British Commonwealth forces went on the offensive.