He only thought about picking up ready-made Sokov, but he never dreamed that his troops would have the opportunity to go to the battlefield so soon.
After receiving Konev's notice, Sokov hesitated for a moment and then asked: "Comrade Commander of the Front Army, I would like to ask, can you add an artillery unit to us?"
Konev had already guessed that Sokov would definitely put forward conditions to himself after receiving the order. He originally thought that the other party would let him replenish soldiers and tanks, but unexpectedly what was needed was artillery. He asked with some confusion: "Comrade Sokov, why do you need artillery?"
"Comrade Commander of the Front Army, as far as I know, the most intense fighting area today is outside Prokhorovka." Sokov explained to Konev: "If we are placed under the command of the Voronezh Front Army, I think Voronezh Front Army will The first order issued by General Tutin was to order our troops to move in the direction of Prokhorovka to assist the friendly forces to repel the enemies attacking outside Prokhorovka. Since we are going to attack, if there is no artillery cover, simply We will pay a huge price if we rely on infantry to attack the enemy."
Regarding Sokov's request, Konev fell silent, because shortly after Vasilevsky called him, he received a call from Antonov on behalf of the Supreme Command, ordering Major General Ryzhov The 47th Group Army, Major General Obukhov's 3rd Guards Mechanized Army, and Lieutenant General Solomatin Tank Corps' 1st Mechanized Army carried out a joint assault from the north, destroying the direction of Korocha and then Oskol. The enemy group emerged from the river.
The battles faced by these three troops will be extremely cruel, so Konev plans to allocate all the artillery units directly under the front army to them. Unexpectedly, Sokov also asked for artillery, which put him in a bit of a dilemma. . If you give it, it will inevitably weaken the offensive power in the north; if you don't give it, Sokov's troops are mainly infantry, but they will definitely pay a heavy price against the German mechanized troops.
"Comrade Sokov," Konev felt that this matter needed to be carefully considered and he must not make a hasty decision, so he said with some hesitation: "As for the artillery matter, I will discuss it with other front army chiefs before I give it to you. A resounding answer.”
"Okay, Comrade Commander of the Front Army." Sokov knew that Konev's life was not easy now. If he wanted to get artillery from him, it would probably not be an easy task. Since the other party offered to consider it, he , which proved that there was still a glimmer of hope, so he nodded and said, "I'm waiting for your answer."
As soon as Sokov put down the phone, he ordered Sameko: "Chief of Staff, call several division commanders and order them to rush to the headquarters immediately for a meeting. We have a big battle to fight."
The 27th Army now controls a large area south of the Pushor River. Except for the 188th Division, where the situation is relatively bad, the commanders and soldiers in the rest of the area are basically idle. After receiving the notice from Sameko, the commanders of each division immediately rushed to the headquarters as quickly as possible.
"Comrade commanders," Samek said to everyone when he saw that all the division commanders had arrived: "We are having a meeting now."
"Comrade Chief of Staff," Colonel Shechtman, commander of the 254th Division, who had hardly fought a battle since the beginning of the campaign, asked impatiently: "Are we calling for a meeting today to prepare for a big war?"
"You guessed it right, Comrade Colonel." Sameko smiled and said to Shechtman: "The army does have a big move. We must take the initiative to attack the German army."
"Initiate an attack on the enemy?" Hearing this news, the happiest person was Colonel Koida, the commander of the 188th Division. His troops had been stationed in the south for several days and had been engaged in defensive warfare, which made him feel particularly special. Frustrated. At this moment, when Sameko heard that he was going to launch an attack, he immediately rushed to say: "This is really great. The Sixth Armored Division in front of us has been disabled. As long as we turn from defense to attack, it will only take a while to eliminate them." question."
"Colonel Koida," unexpectedly, as soon as he finished speaking, Sokov interrupted: "We will not attack the German 6th and 18th Armored Divisions for the time being, so as not to stimulate the German 48th Armored Division in the northwest. Corps and the 52nd Infantry Corps. Once they turn around and attack us, we will have to fight in two directions at the same time."
The division commanders who came to the meeting fell silent and listened quietly to what Sokov said: "Colonel Koida's 188th Division, Colonel Khokhlov's 182nd Division, as well as an infantry brigade and two naval The Marine Brigade continues to hold on to the existing positions. Major General Fomenko's 84th Brigade and Major General Gritsenko's 384th Brigade are responsible for the defense tasks from the Pushor River to the southern positions..."
Koida felt a little disappointed when he learned that his troops had to stick to their current positions. But then I thought about it, if Sokov really commanded the troops to launch an attack outside the city of Prokhorovka, the enemies from the northwest would definitely swoop over, and then they would have to rely on himself and Colonel Khokhlov's troops. to block the enemy's attack and ensure that the offensive in the east proceeds smoothly.
After explaining which troops should hold their positions, Sokov said to Shechtman: "Comrade Colonel, this time I plan to have your troops, under the cover of a tank brigade, attack the enemy outside Prokhorovka. Launch an attack. How about it, are you confident you can complete the mission?"
Schechtman knew that the German troops west of Prokhorovka were the Skeleton and Flag Guard divisions that had suffered losses under Sokov, so he stood up and patted his chest and said: "Don't worry, Comrade Commander. , dealing with two defeated generals is not a problem at all."
"Comrade Colonel," it is good to have confidence, but if you underestimate the enemy, you will easily suffer a big loss. Sokov specially reminded the other party: "Although we annihilated the Imperial Division and severely damaged the Skeleton Division and the Flag Guard Division, If you let your guard down because of this, you may suffer big losses.”
"Understood, Comrade Commander." Shechtman said with some disapproval: "We will definitely remain vigilant enough when fighting these enemies."
From the opponent's expression, Sokov discovered that he did not take the troops of the 2nd SS Panzer Army seriously. Regarding his behavior of underestimating the enemy, Sokov understood that no matter how much he said, the opponent would probably not Keep it in mind. After a short period of thinking, he made a decisive decision: "In order to ensure the victory of the offensive, I am ready to act with the 354th Division."
As soon as Sokov's words came out, Samek immediately panicked: "Comrade Commander, the fighting is fierce in the east. If you go, you may encounter danger."
"It doesn't matter. It's not my first day on the battlefield. I know how to protect myself." Sokov waved his hands and said, "I believe that me personally acting can boost morale."
Samyko had long been accustomed to Sokov's character. Seeing that he had already made up his mind, and knowing that his persuasion would be of no use, he could only nod his head and said helplessly: "Okay, Comrade Commander, since you have already Now that you have made a decision, you must pay attention to protecting your own safety in the next battle."
"Comrade Commander," seeing Sokov's decision to personally command the troops to attack the enemy outside Prokhorovka, General Polubyarov, commander of the tank corps, stood up and said, "I think if you want to use tanks, you can completely mobilize the regiment. The 85th and 483rd independent tank battalions directly under the army. If I remember correctly, they have not participated in any battles and are still at full strength."
The words awakened the dreamer. Sokov only considered attacking the Skeleton Division and the Color Guard Division and using tank troops, but he forgot that there were two independent tank battalions in his direct troops. Since Polubyarov reminded him at this moment, he followed suit and said: "General Polubyarov, you are right. This time to attack the enemy in the east, we can indeed use these two independent tank battalions. This way, I won’t have to disrupt your army’s existing deployment.”
"Comrade Commander," Samyko reminded Sokov after hearing General Polubyarov's suggestion to use two independent tank battalions: "These two independent tank battalions only have fifty tanks in total. Tanks. One-third of the old T-70 tanks will suffer heavy losses if they encounter a large number of German tanks."
"Comrade Chief of Staff, you don't have to worry." Sokov secretly thought to himself. As for the one or two hundred tanks of the Skeleton Division and the Flag Guard Division, it is estimated that most of them have been lost in the two days of fighting, and the rest are still there. In the battle with Rotmistrov's troops, it is estimated that they will not be able to deal with themselves. Even if the old tanks in the two tank battalions account for a considerable proportion, they are still sure of victory: "The enemy's armor strength is all Being dragged outside Prokhorovka, it doesn’t pose much of a threat to us.”
Sokov raised his hand and looked at his watch, and said to Colonel Shechtman: "Comrade Colonel, please rush back to the unit immediately and let the commanders and soldiers make all preparations before departure. Before dark, we will launch an attack on the enemy. attack."
"Carry out an attack before dark?" Sokov's words confused Shechtman: "Comrade Commander, if we attack before dark, the battle will not last long, and it will be dark. How can we fight then? ?”
"Comrade Colonel, don't forget that close combat and night combat are the strengths of our army." Sokov said proudly: "After dark, the enemy tanks, aircraft and artillery will be ineffective, and then our infantry will be able to fully Use our strengths to make the enemy dizzy."
In fact, Sokov ordered the troops to fight at night, but there was nothing he could do. The air support promised by superiors has not yet been fulfilled; and this time the enemy outside Prokhorovka did not even have artillery. If we follow the conventional offensive battle style, the final casualties will be very heavy. In order to avoid this situation, Sokov could only choose night combat and close combat, which the Soviet army was best at.
After the meeting, while Shechtman went back to assemble his troops, Sokov sat at the table and waited for Konev's call. He secretly thought that if Konev could provide him with artillery, even one artillery division or two self-propelled artillery regiments, then his attack on the Skeleton Division and the Flag Guard Division could be carried out two or three hours in advance, and Try to resolve the battle before dark.
Regardless of these two elite SS divisions, they can defeat one or two Soviet armies, but as long as they encounter their nemesis, their combat effectiveness will be greatly reduced. Unexpectedly, as soon as his troops rushed forward, the defense line established by the German army would collapse in an instant.
After sitting for more than an hour, Konev's call did not come, but Shechtman's call came: "Comrade Commander, my troops have been assembled and ready to go at any time."
"I know." Sokov said calmly: "Wait, I will let you know when it's time to set off."
Seeing Sokov's sad look, Runev asked tentatively: "Comrade Commander, are you still waiting for General Konev's call?"
"Yes." Sokov told his deputy, naturally not hiding his true thoughts: "With the assistance of artillery, our attack on the German army will be smoother."
"Comrade Commander, I have an idea, I don't know whether I should say it or not."
"Comrade Military Commissar, if you have any ideas, just say it."
"I look at the situation of the enemy and ourselves on the map. The enemies outside Prokhorovka include not only the Skeleton Division and the Flag Guard Division, but also the Kef Combat Group. The enemy's strength is not weak." Runev pointed at the map. Said to Sokov: "I think you should deploy the second echelon. Once you attack the Skeleton Division and the Flag Guard Division and are attacked from the flank by the Kef Combat Group, our second echelon can rush up in time to help You resolve the crisis.”
"It's not necessary." Sokov shook his head and said, "If the enemy wants to destroy us, he must first have a good set of teeth. Otherwise, not only will he not be able to eat us, he may even break his front teeth."
Sokov raised his hand and looked at his watch. He felt that it was already getting late, and Konev's call was delayed, which proved that the opponent's big concept could not provide him with artillery. He stood up and said to Samyko: "Staff Commander, inform Colonel Shechtman and the two tank battalion commanders that it’s time for us to set off.”
As soon as the order was issued, the troops who had been waiting for a long time began to move eastward in the direction of Prokhorovka. Colonel Shechtman, who was traveling with Sokov, asked Sokov tentatively: "Comrade Commander, will we not be discovered by the enemy when we advance eastward with such great fanfare?"
"Comrade Colonel," Sokov stared at Shechtman and asked strangely: "The roads leading to Prokhorovka are all exposed to the sight of German scouts. What do you think we should do? , can we completely avoid the eyes and ears of the German army? Now that we are marching in the direction of Prokhorovka in such a arrogant manner, it may also disrupt the combat deployment of the German army command, forcing them to have to mobilize some troops from the fighting area. Intercept us."
