Why did Erwin Rommel order his army to retreat after the Second Battle of El-Alamein?

Erwin Rommel ordered his army to retreat after the Second Battle of El-Alamein primarily because his forces had been decimated and lacked the resources to continue fighting. By November 2, 1942, the Afrika Korps had been reduced to approximately 2,000 combat-ready men and only about 30 operational tanks, leaving them vastly outnumbered by the British Eighth Army, which possessed over 600 tanks.12

Furthermore, Rommel’s army faced critical shortages of fuel and supplies, exacerbated by the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force effectively strangling Axis supply lines across the Mediterranean. Having depleted his resources and facing a decisive Allied advantage, Rommel concluded that the battle was lost. Although he initially attempted to withdraw, his efforts were briefly complicated by an order from Adolf Hitler to hold the position at all costs, which Rommel recognized as an exercise in futility. Ultimately, the retreat was a necessary response to the total exhaustion of his defensive capabilities.312