Sokov said this because he remembered that during the Battle of Kursk, the Soviet Air Force was equipped with a large number of rockets that could attack ground targets. Although the accuracy could not be compared with later air-to-surface missiles, it also gave the German army The armored forces inflicted huge casualties.
"When do you plan to launch an attack on the Imperial Division?" Zhukov asked.
"I'm still waiting for my chance."
"In the entire Kursk area, our troops and the enemy have become integrated." Hearing what Sokov said, Zhukov said unhappily: "How long do you want to wait?"
"Nearly half of my troops have not arrived yet, and General Polubyarov's tank corps is still on the way." Sokov explained to Zhukov: "According to my idea, when the enemy attacks first, we will rely on Shumakovo's favorable terrain consumes a large amount of the German army's effective strength. When the enemy begins to retreat, we will launch a full-scale counterattack. By then, the troops that have detoured from the flanks have already entered the attack position. We will attack from both sides. It is possible to annihilate the Imperial Division again.”
"You have a good idea." After Zhukov praised Sokov, he continued to ask: "Do you think the Germans will really launch an attack on your defense zone?"
"Comrade Marshal, please look at the map." Sokov pointed to the map in front of him and said to Zhukov: "Although the terrain of Prokhorovka is conducive to the German army deploying their large-scale armored forces, from here to Kurdish After all, the distance between Sksk and Moscow is a bit too far. According to my judgment, the enemy will definitely try to break through the Shumakovo area we are holding in order to reduce the time to rush to Kursk."
"Your analysis makes sense." Zhukov said calmly: "But have you considered another possibility, that is, the Germans will leave some of their troops to contain you, and then devote all their main forces to the Prokhorovka area. ?”
"Comrade Marshal, the possibility you mentioned is entirely possible." Sokov said: "If the German army does not launch an attack on Shumakovo within 48 hours, then my troops will take the initiative to attack." In order to let Zhukov understand the reason for his decision, he took the initiative and said, "By then, General Polubyarov's tank army should have reached the attack position, and our infantry can be covered by the tanks. , launch an attack on the area occupied by the enemy."
Zhukov knew that although Sokov's army was large, it now lacked tanks and artillery, otherwise he would not have repeatedly requested air support from him just now. After staring at the map for a while, he asked: "Misha, didn't you say that the terrain here is not conducive to the deployment of large-scale armored forces?"
"Yes, Comrade Marshal." Sokov argued: "When the tank troops arrive at the designated position, I will order them to work as a company to coordinate with the infantry. All offensive troops will be equipped with new rockets and rocket launchers, so that It can effectively improve their ability to tackle difficult problems.”
While Sokov and Zhukov were discussing when to launch an attack on the Imperial Division, Tansen received a call from Hauser: "Mr. Flag Captain, I now order you to hand over the defense area to the 230th Infantry Division immediately, and then you all The division turned in the direction of Prokhorovka.”
"What, hand over the defense area to the 230th Infantry Division?" Hearing Hauser's order, Tansen couldn't help but get angry. One of his regiments suffered heavy losses in the Soviet night attack, and now they haven't had time to take revenge. Then, he would have to turn in another direction. How could he be willing to do so? Therefore, he said righteously: "I'm sorry, Army Commander, my troops will not leave the existing combat area until the Russians in the Shumakovo area are eliminated."
"Mr. Flag Captain," Seeing that Tansen was unwilling to obey his orders, Hausser was also angry: "Are you going to disobey?"
"Yes, your Excellency, Army Commander." Tansen said without concealment: "After a hard fight, the officers and soldiers of our division finally broke through the Russian defenses in the Oboyan area. During the advance, one of the troops suffered a huge loss. Loss. If we don’t retaliate, how can we be worthy of those officers and soldiers who died?”
Perhaps in order to persuade Hausser, Tansen continued after a brief silence: "Our division was rebuilt by the Führer himself. If we suffer losses from the Russians, we will quietly turn to other divisions before we have time to retaliate. The direction will probably bring shame on the head of state’s face.”
Hausser did not expect that Tansen actually moved Hitler out in order to disobey his order. As a result, he had to consider this additional factor when considering the deployment of the Imperial Division. After thinking about it again and again, he said: "Okay, Mr. Flag Captain, then I will give you another 24 hours. If you cannot break through the Russian defenses in the Shumakovo area within the specified time, then obediently The defense area was handed over to the 230th Infantry Division and quickly advanced towards the Prokhorovka area."
Hearing that Hauser no longer insisted on transferring him to Prokhorovka, Tansen showed a proud sneer on his face. He secretly considered in his heart that even if he wanted to move in the direction of Prokhorovka, he would need to Let's take revenge first.
After Tansen put down the phone, he immediately called his chief of staff to him and asked: "Has any news come back from the scouts sent to the Shumakovo area?"
"Yes, Mr. Flag Captain." The division chief of staff quickly replied: "According to the scout's report, the Russian troops stationed in Shumakovo are indeed the 27th Army commanded by Sokov."
"How many troops do they have?" Tansen continued to ask.
"There are about two infantry divisions, and no artillery or tank troops were found." The reason why the German scouts came to the wrong conclusion was because they thought that the Soviet division-level establishment was 8,000 men, but they did not know that there were many Soviet troops at the moment. The troops were not fully staffed, so the four divisions were regarded as two divisions.
However, Tansen and the division chief of staff did not know that the intelligence returned by their scouts had serious deviations, and they were still formulating the next battle plan based on the intelligence that there were only two Soviet divisions in Shumakovo. He slapped the map on the table with his palm and said to the chief of staff: "Immediately mobilize the 4th Armored Regiment, 2nd Artillery Regiment, 2nd Motorcycle Battalion and the remnants of the 3rd Grenadier Regiment to advance in the direction of Shumakovo. It must be We must break through the Russian defenses in the shortest possible time."
"Mr. Flag Captain," after hearing Tansen's attack plan, the division chief of staff cautiously reminded him: "There are many hills in the Shumakovo area, which is not conducive to the deployment of armored forces. I'm worried..."
"Worry, what is there to worry about?" Tansen said disdainfully: "So what if it's the troops commanded by Sokov? They have neither artillery nor tanks, how can they block our attack? Don't forget , a few months ago, the strength of the Russians was several times that of our army, but under the command of Marshal Manstein, we still successfully defeated the Russians who had a numerical advantage."
The division chief of staff could tell from Tansen's tone that he didn't take the garrison without artillery and tank troops into consideration at all. He knew that if he continued to persuade, the other party would not listen, so he could only smile bitterly and agreed to give it to the subordinate troops. Give the order to attack.
Set a small goal first, such as remembering in 1 second: Shukeju
