Thesis
In 1942, the American Locomotive Company (ALCO), in Schenectady NY, began the design and production of the M7 "Priest" Mobile Howitzer. Despite the fact that these "tank killers" were rolling down the streets of Schenectady, no information was leaked to the Germans by ALCO, citizens or the press; this allowed the M7s to arrive in North Africa a complete surprise to the Afrika Korps. The M7 helped the British 8th Army defeat the "unstoppable" German Afrika Korps at the second Battle of El Alamein. It was the first major WWII victory for the British. The dedicated ALCO workers and the security conscious Schenectady citizens enabled this coup. The surprise arrival of the M7 was an early turning point in the allied fight to save Europe.
"We like to think that the story of American Locomotive at war is the story of Americans at war -- a story of ingenuity, enterprise, and originality. Certainly the story of the M7 is a case in point. You will remember the historic battle of El Alamein, the turning point battle which resulted in the rout of Rommel -- the battle which General Montgomery won at the gates of Alexandria... At El Alamein a secret weapon made its first appearance -- a tank destroyer -- a new development in mobile artillery (105 mm. gun) called an M7."
~ American Locomotive Went to War, Official ALCO Publication