The British had been forewarned by Ultra decrypts of German wireless communications and rushed reinforcements from Tripoli and Benghazi before the Axis attack, which was a costly failure. General Erwin Rommel , the commander of Army Group Africa Heeresgruppe Afrika , could not afford to lose forces needed for the defence of the Mareth Line and the effort was abandoned at dusk that day. During the night, the Eighth Army remained alert for the possibility of another Axis attempt and sent forward patrols to carry out reconnaissance and to demolish knocked-out Axis tanks.
On 7 March the Axis forces began a withdrawal northwards towards the Mareth Line, the Eighth Army pursuit being slowed by rain. The Battle of Medenine was the last battle commanded by Rommel in the North African Campaign, who returned to Europe for good soon afterwards. The Panzerarmee evaded British outflanking moves but traffic jams, fuel shortage, poor weather and air attacks reduced the retreat to 6β7 mi 9. Comando Supremo in Rome and Oberkommando der Wehrmacht in Berlin took an optimistic view of the situation and Comando Supremo chose the Mersa-el-Brega β El Agheila position as the terminus of the retreat, despite the position having a front mi km long, strong points up to 5 mi 8.
When the Panzerarmee arrived, the Afrika Korps had only 5, men, 35 tanks, 16 armoured cars, 12 anti-tank guns, 12 field howitzers and deliveries of only 50 long tons 51 t of the long tons t of supplies needed daily. At a meeting with Hitler on 28 November, Rommel discussed the proposal but only received a promise of more supplies.
The supply situation was little better, with long tons t tons of the long tons t daily requirement being delivered and 95 per cent of the fuel being used to distribute supplies or for withdrawals. On 13 February, the last Axis soldiers left Libya and on 15 February, the rearguard reached the Mareth Line , 80 mi km inside Tunisia. Comando Supremo intended the line to be held indefinitely but Rommel considered it too vulnerable to another flanking move, unlike the Wadi Akarit position, another 40 mi 64 km back.
On 14 November, the Allied forces tried to reach Tunis, mi km to the east through mountainous country by a coup de main assisted by parachute landings but poor weather, a rapid German build-up of Luftwaffe aircraft and the airlift of troops from Sicily to Tunisia under Case Anton ended the advance on 30 November.
