A German strategic withdrawal in late 1941

Rommel was more concerned with keeping the core of his fighting force intact, in late 1941, than in holding ground. He was very unhappy, though, with losing his forces on the Libyan-Egyptian border. He had made an attempt to relieve them, but his strike force was too depleted to have a reasonable chance of success. Naval-History.net has an interesting summary page that includes the major milestones in 1940 to 1942. While the focus is on the naval campaign, this at least helps to summarize the actions.