He and his wife accepted the invitation of Husni al-Za'im to move to Syria to work as an agricultural and military advisor to the Syrian Armed Forces. This he did from January to June 1949, a period during the 1948 Arab–Israeli War (15 May 1948 – 10 March 1949), in which Syria fought. Strachwitz, bragging about his military successes in the Soviet Union, had a very difficult time with the Syrian officers, and his agricultural suggestions were ignored as well. When Adib Shishakli seized power, Strachwitz and his wife left Syria. In the meantime, they had received a visa for Argentina, where they hoped to find another advisory position. Via Lebanon, they arrived in Livorno, Italy, where they changed their plans and ran a winery. They returned to Germany in 1951 with a Red Cross passport. Strachwitz settled on an estate in Winkl near Grabenstätt in Bavaria and founded the ""Oberschlesisches Hilfswerk"" (Upper Silesian Fund) supporting fellow Silesians in need.