In February 1943, German forces overran inexperienced American troops at Kasserine Pass and captured huge supply depots in North Africa. Fuel, vehicles, food, and equipment gave the Afrika Korps a temporary boost when shortages were already weakening German operations.
But the victory carried a troubling message. The amount of American fuel left behind showed that the United States could supply war on a scale Germany could not match, turning a tactical success into a warning about the industrial future of the conflict.
