Battle of Kursk of Sicily had begun, Adolf Hitler was forced to have troops training in France diverted to meet the Allied threat in the Mediterranean, rather than use them as a strategic reserve for the Eastern Front. Hitler canceled the offensive at Kursk after only a week, in part to divert forces to Italy. Germany's extensive losses of men and tanks ensured that the victorious Soviet Red Army enjoyed the strategic initiative for the remainder of the war. The Germans hoped to weaken the Soviet offensive potential for the summer of 1943 by cutting off the forces that they anticipated would be
Jane's WWII Fighters for the year 2000 alone, which accounted for $2.5 million in revenue. Mark Asher and Tom Chick of Quarter to Three remarked that "WWII Fighters" "did a good job of trying to convince us that flight sims aren't dead" that year. The Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences nominated "WWII Fighters" for its 1998 "Simulation Game of the Year" award, although it lost to "". It was also a finalist for "Computer Gaming World"s 1998 "Best Simulation", GameSpot's "Simulation of the Year" and IGN's "Best Simulation of the Year" prizes, all of which ultimately went to "European Air War". "WWII