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Why did the Axis forces retreat toward Tunis and Bizerte in 1943?

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Map showing the British and Axis military campaigns in North Africa during World War II, with labeled troop movements, key battles, and shifting front lines from Egypt across Libya to Tunisia along the Mediterranean coast. The map includes arrows and dates marking advances and retreats by both sides, and highlights major turning points and defensive lines. — North Africa campaigns Military drives, defensive lines, and key battles during the North Africa campaigns of World War II, 1940–43.

In 1943, Axis forces retreated toward Tunis and Bizerte primarily because they were being pressured by the Allied Eighth Army and U.S. II Corps following the collapse of their defensive positions at the Mareth Line and the Wādī al-ʿAkārīt.12

After being forced to abandon these southern lines, the Afrika Korps conducted a rapid withdrawal northward along the coast to join forces with the Fifth Panzer Army under Jürgen von Arnim. The German high command chose to consolidate these units into a 100-mile perimeter around Tunis and Bizerte to defend the area, despite having the opportunity to evacuate their troops to Sicily. Ultimately, the decision to hold this "indefensible rump" was driven by a desire to prolong the campaign in Africa rather than withdraw to Europe, a choice that left the Axis forces trapped with their backs to the sea.12