The more you study different battles of WWII the more you can begin to better understand the Allied strategy, and how these invasions were carefully coordinated in order to bleed out Hitler's Armies on BOTH fronts. There is another article in this same newspaper that points to the fact that by 1943 Germany couldn't expect to receive any help from the Japanese as far as new offensives were concerned, as our forces in the Pacific had them back peddling for Tokyo by then.
Many historians believe that Stalingrad was the turning point on the Eastern Front, but just as many say it was the German's failed Offensive at Kursk that was the beginning of the end for Germany in the East. The panzer armies that were siphoned off in order to defend Italy may well have tipped the balance in favor of the Russians, who knows? There are just too many battles in WWII that could be considered pivotal in the Final Victory to say it was one or the other. One thing is for sure is that the world will probably never again see an armored battle of this scale between two conventional armies, and that is what makes Kursk so interesting! I can still remember in 1991 listening to the radio announcer talking about the tank battle taking place between the US Army and Iraq's Republican Guard, and saying "This is the biggest tank battle since WWII and the battle of Kursk!" I am so glad that it was as lopsided as it turned out to be. I remember that day very well, for it made me think about how it might have been to be listening to the radio back in July of1943... 
Dogdaddy 