system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
ELI5: What is a seized engine?

I was watching a video on Dunkirk and was told that soldiers would run truck engines dry to cause them seize and rendering them useless to the Germans. What is an engine seize? Can those engines be salvaged? Or would the Germans in this scenario know it's hopeless and scrap the engine completely?
gpt
When an engine runs without oil, the friction causes it to get extremely hot to the point that internal parts break or, in more extreme instances, the metal pieces weld themselves together.

The end result, though, is a 100% dead engine that can’t be fixed in any practical sense of the word. (Sure, it could stripped down piece by piece and completely rebuilt and have any damaged components sorted out... but that’s not practical in the middle of a war. And it’s usually costs more than it’s worth.)