The losses on Crete represented the vast majority of the battalion's personnel, but by June there were about 70 men from the 2/1st in Palestine, some of whom had managed to escape after the fall of Crete and some who had been brought back there after Greece, rather than landing on Crete. The decision was subsequently made to re-form the battalion, rather than disband it. This was done by transferring 200 experienced men from the 16th Brigade's other two battalions – the 2/2nd and 2/3rd – and bringing in 500 newly arrived reinforcements. In October 1941, after the 2/1st had been rebuilt, it was allocated to garrison duties, taking up the defences in northern Syria, which had been captured from the Vichy French during the Syria–Lebanon Campaign that had been fought earlier in the year. Japan's entry into the war in December 1941 resulted in plans to bring the 6th Division back to Australia to help bolster the country's defences and on 10 March 1942, the 2/1st embarked for home. During the voyage, the battalion was diverted to Ceylon to defend it from a possible Japanese invasion. The invasion never came and the 2/1st Battalion finally arrived in Melbourne on 7 August 1942.