In early 1940, the Australian Army was reorganised to bring it in line with the British Army by reducing the size of each brigade from four infantry battalions to three. The result of this was that 2/8th, as the fourth battalion within the 17th Brigade, was transferred to a new brigade, the 19th, which was formed from the 2/4th Battalion, a New South Wales battalion from the 16th Brigade, the 2/8th from the 17th and the Western Australian 2/11th from the 18th. After the completion of basic training, the battalion marched through the streets of Melbourne before embarking for the Middle East in mid-April aboard the troopship "Dunera". After a month long voyage as part of a large convoy carrying Australian troops to the Middle East, the 2/8th reached El Kantara, in Egypt, on 18 May 1940. Upon arrival, the battalion concentrated at the Australian camp at Kilo 89, near Gaza, in Palestine, where it joined the rest of the 19th Brigade. It undertook further exercises and training in Egypt and Palestine prior to the Australians being committed to the fighting against the Italians in the Libyan desert in January 1941 during Operation Compass. A series of actions were fought by the Australians around Bardia and Tobruk, before the 19th Brigade entered Benghazi in February. The 2/8th Battalion had only a minor role in the early battles, but was heavily involved in the fighting for Tobruk, being thrown into an attack against an Italian strong hold that was supported by armour. In April 1941, as the Allies grew concerned about a German invasion of Greece, a combined force of British, Australian and New Zealand troops were deployed there from North Africa. Amidst freezing temperatures, the battalion took part in the fighting around Vevi, in northern Greece near the border with Yugoslavia, before the Australians were pushed back by a larger force. A series of withdrawals followed, during which the 2/8th lost most of its equipment and was broken up into several groups. As the Germans overran the country, the 2/8th was evacuated at the end of the month via Kalamata; part of the battalion – almost 200 personnel – were moved by sea back to Egypt, while the rest – almost 400 personnel – were landed on the island of Crete from Royal Navy destroyers, having originally embarked upon the "Costa Rica", which had been sunk en route by several Axis dive-bombers. They subsequently took part in the fighting on Crete following the German invasion on 20 May.