Shechtman immediately conveyed Sokov's order without hesitation. As Sokov's subordinate, he has an inexplicable trust in Sokov, which was established by countless previous victories.
Before the attack began, he was still skeptical about whether his own division could defeat the Skeleton Division. But as the battle started, the resistance of the Skeleton Division was not as strong as expected. On the contrary, the enemy even gave himself a feeling of collapse at the first touch. It was precisely because of this that Shechtman made up his mind not only to execute any orders issued by Sokov without hesitation.
After receiving the order, the artillery regiment immediately pushed the artillery to a few hundred meters away from the German position, used direct fire to bombard the German trenches, and tried to use artillery fire to drive the enemy out of the position.
After Simon escaped from his division headquarters, he thought that he would be out of danger by hiding in the Grenadier Regiment position on the right flank. Unexpectedly, before he could take a breath, Soviet artillery shells fell on the position like raindrops. As soon as the artillery fire stopped, groups of Soviet infantry rushed up. Before the Germans could react to the shelling, they quickly occupied the position. part of the position.
In order to block the breach, Simon ordered his men to organize troops to counterattack, trying to drive out all the Soviet troops while their foothold was not stable. But what I didn't expect was that this Soviet army was different from the troops they had fought against in the past. When they saw the German counterattack troops appearing, they immediately looked for a suitable location to hide, and then called for artillery support to blow up the German troops who rushed up. Ghosts cry and wolves howl.
The chief of staff, who had just escaped from the destroyed division headquarters, learned that the counterattack had failed. Listening to the increasingly fierce gunfire outside, he nervously said to Simon: "Your Excellency, division commander, I think the enemy is attacking our position. , it should be Sokov’s troops who just arrived before dark. Now our soldiers have fallen into chaos, and I don’t think they can hold their position.”
"Then tell me, what should we do?" Didn't Simon know that the enemy he was fighting was Sokov, who was giving him a headache? When I heard the Chief of Staff say this, I said angrily, "Should we continue to retreat?"
"Yes, Your Excellency, Division Commander." Unexpectedly, the Chief of Staff said: "In order to preserve our vitality, I think it is absolutely necessary to retreat."
"What, retreating at this time?" Simon felt extremely bad after losing the battle. Hearing what the Chief of Staff said, he immediately became furious: "Wouldn't this be handing over the position we finally captured to the hands of the Russians again? ?"
"Your Excellency, Division Commander, I also know that we should find a way to hold on to our position, but under the current situation, it is very disadvantageous for us to continue to hold on." The Chief of Staff explained to Simon: "After our division advanced outside Prokhorovka, , Sokov's troops cut off our logistics supply lines. Now we are seriously short of ammunition and fuel. If we continue to fight, once we run out of ammunition and food, there is a risk of the entire army being destroyed. Do you want to be a Russian again? A prisoner?"
Being captured by Sokov's troops was a black mark on Simon's military career. Even though Mustache trusts him and continues to let him serve as the commander of the Skeleton Division, he can feel the private contempt for him from the following regimental commanders. If he becomes a prisoner of the Russians again, even if the head of state is in large numbers, he will have no shame in living anymore.
Thinking of this, he asked the Chief of Staff: "Chief of Staff, tell me, what should we do?"
"Retreat." The chief of staff answered simply, "If you don't want the entire army to be destroyed and become prisoners of the Russians, you must choose to retreat." He pointed to the map on the table and said to Simon, "Your Excellency, division commander, where we are The location is only two or three kilometers away from the defense zone of the Flag Guard Division, and I think we can retreat there. As long as our two divisions join forces, even if it is Sokov's troops who carry out the attack, they will not dare to act rashly."
"Your Excellency, Division Commander," just when Simon was hesitant, an officer broke into the headquarters and shouted at him: "The Russians are bombarding our position with artillery fire. It seems that they are preparing to launch a more violent attack."
After Simon saw clearly that the officer who came in was the commander of the Grenadier Regiment, he couldn't help but frown slightly, and then said: "Colonel, can you stop the Russian attack?"
When the commander of the Grenadier Corps heard Simon's question, he was stunned for a moment. Then he cast a look for help at the chief of staff. Seeing the other party nodding towards him, indicating that he could tell the truth, he bravely said: "Your Excellency, division commander, if Our regiment has just arrived outside the city of Prokhorovka. Facing such an offensive by the Russians, I can assure you that we can definitely defend it. However, the Russians have recently cut off our logistics supply lines, and the regiment has already There is a shortage of ammunition and supplies, and I am worried that if the fight continues, our entire army will be in danger of being wiped out at any time."
Another person who said that the whole army was destroyed. When he heard the word "the whole army was destroyed", Simon's heart was filled with anger, but he could not get angry, because whether it was his chief of staff or the commander in front of him. , what they said is the truth. What are we fighting for, but logistical supplies? Without ammunition and fuel, the tanks and artillery he relied on were nothing more than a pile of scrap metal. If he wanted to retreat lightly, he would have to throw them all away.
Simon stood in front of the table, staring at the map for a long time without speaking, but his mind was running rapidly: If he followed the advice of the chief of staff and retreated the troops to the defense area of the Flag Guard Division, the two divisions would join forces. , the Russians would not dare to continue the attack. But the most worrying thing is that if the Flag Guard Division faces the same situation as itself, lacking ammunition and fuel, then the next battle will be impossible to fight.
Seeing Simon's delay in speaking, the chief of staff became a little anxious: "Your Excellency, division commander, the Russian artillery fire is getting fiercer and fiercer. It seems that they will launch a new attack soon. You must make up your mind as soon as possible."
Before Simon could make a final decision, a phone call came in, from a battalion commander of the Grenadier Regiment. He panicked and reported to the regimental commander: "Colonel, it's bad, the Russians on Highland 252.2 have left their position and are starting to move towards our defense area."
"It's broken." When the chief of staff heard the news, he was dumbfounded. He pointed to the map and explained to Simon: "Your Excellency, division commander, our main forces are fighting Sokov's troops. Now the Russians on the highlands are If we go out again, we may not have enough power to stop them."
"So, we can only choose to retreat." Simon knew that if he did not retreat, he would be surrounded by the Soviet army, and it would be difficult to escape the fate of becoming a prisoner. But he was still worried that the Flag Guard Division was in the same situation as his own division, lacking ammunition and fuel. Once the Soviet army came to hunt rabbits, not only would he be finished, but even the Flag Guard Division would not escape misfortune: "However, the Flag Guard Division Will the division be short of ammunition and fuel like us?"
When the grenadier commander heard Simon's question, he immediately shut up. He was just an ordinary regiment commander and had no way of knowing whether the friendly forces had received enough supplies. But the situation with the Chief of Staff was different. Due to his position, he was destined to have more information than Simon. Hearing Simon's worry at this moment, he quickly explained: "Your Excellency, Division Commander, you don't have to worry about this. The Russian troops currently staying behind the Flag Guard Division are just a Guards Division of the 69th Group Army. It may not be a big problem to use them for defense." , but if it is used for offense, it is far from enough. Therefore, so far, the supply lines of the Flag Guard Division are still operating normally. They have enough ammunition and fuel, and we can even get some necessary supplies from them. Replenish."
The Soviet attack on the high ground and the words of the Army Chief of Staff made Simon completely determined: "Well, if that's the case, then we will immediately move to the Flag Guard Division's position to get rid of this damn Russian. "
As the order was issued, the German troops, who were still resisting desperately, began to retreat in batches along the communication trenches in an orderly manner toward the Flag Guard Division.
News that the German troops had begun to retreat soon reached Sokov's ears. After confirming that the enemy had really begun to retreat, Sokov's heart finally fell to the ground. He used an infantry regiment and an artillery regiment to actively attack the right-wing position of the Skeleton Division, where a grenadier regiment and several divisions were stationed. Directly affiliated troops, in the eyes of outsiders, are like hitting a stone with an egg.
Because the Germans were unclear about their own strength, they did not dare to leave their positions easily to launch a comprehensive counterattack. They only concentrated a part of their forces to try to block the breakthrough. Now that the enemy has been scared away by his attack, he can just order the troops to follow him and pursue him. If we could break through the Flag Guard Division's position in one go, everyone would be happy. However, even if it is impossible to break through, you can still establish an offensive starting point close to the enemy's position. It is not too late to launch a new attack after you mobilize enough troops.
"Colonel Shechtman," the battle on the right wing had come to an end, and Sokov began to ask Shechtman about the battle on the left wing. According to his idea, there should be no big problem for two infantry regiments reinforced by tank troops, with the cooperation of a friendly tank corps, to annihilate a heavily damaged German armored regiment and a grenadier regiment: "The left wing How is the battle going, has the enemy been eliminated?"
"Comrade Commander, I am preparing to report this matter to you." Colonel Shechtman quickly replied: "The enemy who was flanked by two regiments of our division and the friendly tank corps has now suffered heavy casualties and was compressed into a In a small area. Because the enemy was stubbornly resisting, we launched two attacks in succession, but neither achieved the desired effect. But please rest assured, we will definitely eliminate this enemy group before dawn."
"Do we still have to wait until dawn?" Sokov raised his hand and looked at his watch. It was still very early before dawn, and he was in a hurry to move the two regiments from the left wing to the right wing to carry out the task of attacking the Color Guard Division. He must have Can't wait that long. After a brief thought, he said to Shechtman: "Comrade Colonel, the battle in the direction of the October Farm must be resolute as soon as possible..."
"Comrade Commander, we have tried our best." Hearing what Sokov said, Shechtman explained with a sad face: "But the enemy's resistance is too tenacious. If we want to attack desperately, we will definitely be defeated." We paid a heavy price. I’m worried that after we deal with the enemies near the farm, our two regiments will basically lose their combat effectiveness.”
"To fight, we must not only be brave, but also know how to use our brains." Sokov nodded his head with his finger and continued: "We must not only be able to fight military wars, but also learn to fight political wars. Let Colonel Billing organize it immediately Political workers shouted to the surrounded enemies, urging them to lay down their weapons and surrender to our troops."
"Comrade Commander, I think the enemy may not surrender." But Shechtman expressed doubts about Sokov's words: "You know, when we captured the SS officers and soldiers, they were all We will never accept their surrender. Secondly, even if we shout, do you think the enemy will listen?"
After Sokov waited for the other party to finish speaking, he took out a pen and paper and started writing with his head down. It took him about five minutes to finish writing what he wanted to say, then he tore off the piece of paper and handed it to Shechtman, and ordered him: "Colonel Shechtman, immediately order someone to hand over this piece of paper." Give it to Colonel Billing and ask him to find someone to translate it into German and shout to the surrounded German officers and soldiers. I believe that after listening to my persuasion to surrender, some of them will lay down their weapons and surrender."
After hearing what Sokov wrote, some German officers and soldiers could put down their weapons and surrender. Shechtman doubtfully picked up the piece of paper and looked at it carefully. At first glance, his pupils began to shrink violently. He did not expect that Sokov could actually write such a letter of persuasion to surrender.
Shechtman quickly read the letter of persuasion to surrender written by Sokov, and quickly straightened up and said to Sokov: "Comrade Commander, don't worry, I will immediately send someone to deliver this letter of persuasion to surrender to Political Commissar Bilin." Here. He once studied at the Military Academy in Berlin, and his German proficiency is no worse than our translator. I think if he speaks in person, the effect may be better."
Sokov just wanted to use this surrender letter to undermine the German army's will to resist. As for who read the surrender letter in front of the two armies, it made no difference to him. However, seeing that Shechtman took the initiative to recommend Political Commissar Billin, he had no objection. He just nodded slightly and said: "Comrade Colonel, hurry up and send this surrender letter. The sooner the enemy puts down his arms, the less we will have to pay." Some costs. After we deal with the enemies near the farm, we can concentrate our forces and go to the enemy's Flag Guard Division."
