BTW,

how interested Hitler was in the Africa situation all along? I think he was only interested in sending loads of troops and tanks ( Tigers as well ) only when the battle had been lost in Africa really and they lost all the material for nothing, I think. It was again a political decision to send all the forces in Africa when they should have been deployed in numbers in Italy and Southern France by late 1942. Of course Italy was going out of the war but losing the 300,000 men altogether was a terrible blow for the axis forces. And by leaving Africa a couple months earlier would not really have changed much ( except politically ) but having the troops and armor would have mattered.

As well it has been supposed in some books that Rommel by telling Hitler all the time that he was short of tanks, oil etc made himself sound quite stupid. Thus Hitler did not care when it should have mattered most to send help in Africa. And of course Hitler was already "hands full" with Stalingrad...( The Russian counter-attack however started on 19th Nov and on November 4th, Rommel started his retreat )

__________________