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The History of WWII Podcast

Episode 585-Kasserine Pass: Humiliating Defeat or Strategic Victory?

The History of WWII Podcast

Ray Harris Jr

Society & Culture, Education, History

4.54.5K Ratings

🗓️ 28 November 2025

⏱️ 24 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

The Battle at Kasserine Pass is remembered as an American failure. Perhaps, but not a defeat. The Allies still held the ground and had learned much about modern warfare. Which was the point of fighting in North Africa first. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0

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0:45.2

Find out more at business.gov.ukes. Eligibility criteria apply. Hello, and thank you for listening to the history of World War II podcast.

1:04.3

Episode 585, Cassarine, humiliating defeat or strategic victory.

1:14.2

Going back and zooming in, the Battle of Kasserine Pass was the first major clash between U.S. and Axis forces. American bravado was about to be

1:21.6

pitted against German professionalism. And though phrases like worst defeat during World War II and most humiliating

1:29.5

setback in World War II linger in American history books and the U.S. psyche, it should be

1:35.5

remembered that though Kasserine did start out as an American defeat, i.e. the pass was entered

1:41.8

by the Germans against American defensive measures. The battle ended

1:46.4

with the Axis forces leaving the area, not the Allies, which is a measure often used of how

1:53.4

a battle is labeled. Yes, the Americans were about to be shown that their overconfidence was not

1:59.9

justified and their attempts

2:01.5

to think less of the British for respecting the Germans' fighting ability was about to get an

2:07.0

intense course correction. But was Cassarene the end-all be-all of defeats?

2:13.8

Battles are much more complex than that, and most importantly, it's what each side is able to do

...

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