In January 1943, the German-Italian Panzer Army commanded by General Erwin Rommel had retreated to the Mareth Line, a line of defensive fortifications near the coastal town of Medenine in southern Tunisia built by the French before the war. The Axis forces joined and in the Sidi Bou Zid area there were elements from both armies, among them the 21st Panzer Division of the Afrika Korps, transferred from German-Italian Panzer Army, and the 10th Panzer Division from the 5th Panzer Army.
