Engineers initially counterfeited fuel, getting kickback (6)
I believe the answer is:
recoil
'kickback' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)
'engineers initially counterfeited fuel' is the wordplay.
'engineers' becomes 're' (Royal Engineers).
'initially' suggests taking the first letters.
'fuel' becomes 'oil' (oil is a type of fuel).
The first letter of 'counterfeited' is 'c'.
're'+'c'+'oil'='RECOIL'
'getting' is the link.
(Other definitions for recoil that I've seen before include "(As a firearm) spring back" , "Reaction to being fired" , "Start back like a gun on firing" , "Draw back in fear or disgust" , "Flinch, shrink back in fear" .)