In the evening, after a fierce battle, the Soviet army finally drove the German troops away from the city of Prokhorovka. The repulsed German troops retreated towards Belgorod.
Sokov received a call from Zhukov. The marshal asked straight to the point on the phone: "Misha, where is your main force now?"
Sokov replied without thinking: "My main force is distributed in the Pushor River-Gleznoye area, forming a relatively loose defense zone."
Zhukov waited for Sokov to finish speaking, then looked at the map in front of him and said: "So, the west side of the Prokhorovka area is under your control."
"Yes, Comrade Marshal." Sokov replied: "After annihilating the 19th Armored Division, the area to the west of the Prokhorovka area is under my control."
"Very good!" After Zhukov praised Sokov, he continued: "Misha, now the enemy outside Prokhorovka has been repelled by our army and is retreating towards Belgorod. The German army south The troops on the right wing of the line have already retreated, and the troops on the left wing will probably not be able to hold on for long and will also choose to retreat."
Sokov knew the elegant meaning after hearing the song. Before Zhukov could finish speaking, he guessed the other party's intention: "Comrade Marshal, you want my troops to advance to Kochetovka and threaten the German army's retreat. ?"
"Yes, Misha, you are right." Seeing that Sokov had guessed his intention, Zhukov said happily: "Kochetovka is northwest of Griznoye, far away from Oboyan - The Belgorod Highway is very close, and if your troops can occupy it, it will seriously threaten the enemy's retreat."
"Comrade Marshal," Sokov thought secretly in his mind. After these few days of fighting, his troops have suffered very heavy casualties. If they are allowed to continue fighting, they may not have much strength to participate in the next battle after the battle is over. Coming down from the Battle of Kharkov. Therefore, he euphemistically proposed: "In our defense area, there are also General Malankin's 81st Guards Division and General Trufanov's tank troops. I think they can go forward to the Kochetovka area." , threatening the German retreat and forcing Manstein to withdraw all his troops to the starting point of the attack."
"Misha, what's wrong with you?" Seeing Sokov's resistance to his orders, Zhukov suddenly became angry: "Are you worried that your troops will be exhausted in the battle and you will become a mere commander?"
Faced with Zhukov's doubts, Sokov did not dare to defend himself, because everything the other party said was right, and Sokov was worried that his troops would be wiped out in the next battle. In that case, I'm afraid it will take a long time to make up for it, causing me to miss many opportunities to make contributions.
"Misha," Zhukov saw that Sokov was slow to speak, and realized that his words were too strong, so he softened his tone and said, "I know that your current situation is not very good. If you continue to fight the German army, the troops will It will lose most of its combat effectiveness. But I have a way to restore your troops' combat effectiveness in the shortest possible time."
After being scolded by Zhukov, Sokov was originally like an eggplant beaten by frost. But when he heard Zhukov said that there was a way to replenish his troops, he suddenly cheered up like a chicken blood: "Comrade Marshal, you have Is there any way to replenish my troops?"
"I can give you a suggestion, but how much troops you can add depends on your ability."
"Comrade Marshal, if you have any suggestions, please tell me quickly."
"Misha, as a commander, you should understand that in every large-scale battle like this, a large number of officers and soldiers from both sides will be captured." Zhukov said on the phone: "Not only did the Germans become our prisoners, but also There are also some of our commanders and soldiers who have become prisoners of the enemy.
I remember that your troops liberated prisoner-of-war camps many times, freed the commanders and fighters detained there, and used a considerable number of personnel to supplement your troops. Am I right? "
"You are right, Comrade Marshal." Seeing that Zhukov had said what he was thinking, Sokov said a little embarrassedly: "I do have this idea, but where can I find a German prisoner of war camp? ?”
"This is your business." Zhukov said on the phone: "I have provided you with a plan to replenish troops. As for how to implement it and whether it can be implemented, it is your business."
After Sokov put down the phone, he glanced at the map, wondering where the Germans would imprison the commanders and fighters captured on the southern front of Kursk.
"Comrade Commander," Luniev saw that Sokov's eyes had not moved away from the map, and couldn't help but asked curiously: "What did Marshal Zhukov say to you on the phone?"
"Marshal said that our army has completely defeated the enemies outside Prokhorovka. The enemies who have suffered defeat are retreating to Belgorod." Sokov said without raising his head: "Marshal ordered We immediately advanced towards Kochetovka, threatening the retreat of the German left wing and forcing Manstein to withdraw all his troops to the original starting point of the attack."
Lunev and Samyko were overjoyed when they heard that the German troops outside Prokhorovka had been defeated and were retreating towards Belgorod. Samyko even took the initiative to ask: "Comrade Commander, since Marshal Zhukov ordered us to go forward to Kochetovka, has he said when will the two divisions be returned to their posts?"
"No, he didn't mention it at all." When he mentioned the two divisions that were transferred to the outside of Prokhorovka, Sokov's heart was bleeding. He felt like a meat bun beating a dog. No, it should be It was Liu Bei who borrowed money from Jingzhou and never returned it. He said with a grimace: "Comrade Marshal, let us find a way to solve the problems of the soldiers."
"Find a way to solve the problem of soldiers by yourself?" When Sokov answered the phone, Samyko was doing some work and did not hear the content of the conversation between the two. At this moment, he asked in surprise: "If our superiors don't give us more soldiers, what will happen to us when we arrive?" Where can I find people to replenish the troops?”
"Comrade Chief of Staff, Marshal Zhukov said that in any such large-scale battle, many officers and soldiers from both sides will be captured." Sokov said in a dumbfounded voice: "He asked me to find a way to find the location of the prisoner of war camp. Once the imprisoned commanders and fighters are rescued, won't there be enough troops to replenish the troops?"
"Prisoner of war camp?!" Lunev was stunned when he heard the word. Then he remembered that when he checked the information about Sokov in the Ministry of Internal Affairs, it was mentioned many times that Sokov liked to be detained in prisoner of war camps. commanders and fighters to enrich their troops. He used to be very disdainful of Sokov's approach, but since he became Sokov's deputy, his ideas began to change. He felt that the commanders and fighters rescued from the prisoner of war camps were far better than The new recruits have high loyalty and are completely trustworthy troops. "Although the battle only lasted for more than a week, I think there were at least tens of thousands of captured commanders and fighters on the southern front. But where would they be imprisoned by the Germans?"
"Yes, so many commanders and fighters were captured by the enemy. It is impossible for the enemy to take them with them. This will affect their advancement speed. I think the enemy will definitely imprison them somewhere." Sokov scratched the back of his head and said: "But where will they be kept?"
"Could it be near Belgorod?" Samyko put forward his own opinion: "After all, that is the starting point for the German attack."
"I don't think so." Before Sokov could speak, Lunev shook his head and said, "The terrain near Belgorod is relatively complex and there is no suitable location for building a prisoner of war camp. The enemy will definitely detain our commanders and fighters there. Other places.”
"Other places?" Samek asked in return: "Comrade Military Commissar, where do you think it will be?"
"I don't know." Lunev answered simply. He turned to look at Sokov and asked: "Comrade Commander, can you imagine where the enemy will set up the prisoner of war camp?"
In the evening, after a fierce battle, the Soviet army finally drove the German troops away from the city of Prokhorovka. The repulsed German troops retreated towards Belgorod.
Sokov received a call from Zhukov. The marshal asked straight to the point on the phone: "Misha, where is your main force now?"
Sokov replied without thinking: "My main force is distributed in the Pushor River-Gleznoye area, forming a relatively loose defense zone."
Zhukov waited for Sokov to finish speaking, then looked at the map in front of him and said: "So, the west side of the Prokhorovka area is under your control."
"Yes, Comrade Marshal." Sokov replied: "After annihilating the 19th Armored Division, the area to the west of the Prokhorovka area is under my control."
"Very good!" After Zhukov praised Sokov, he continued: "Misha, now the enemy outside Prokhorovka has been repelled by our army and is retreating towards Belgorod. The German army south The troops on the right wing of the line have already retreated, and the troops on the left wing will probably not be able to hold on for long and will also choose to retreat."
Sokov knew the elegant meaning after hearing the song. Before Zhukov could finish speaking, he guessed the other party's intention: "Comrade Marshal, you want my troops to advance to Kochetovka and threaten the German army's retreat. ?"
"Yes, Misha, you are right." Seeing that Sokov had guessed his intention, Zhukov said happily: "Kochetovka is northwest of Griznoye, far away from Oboyan - The Belgorod Highway is very close, and if your troops can occupy it, it will seriously threaten the enemy's retreat."
"Comrade Marshal," Sokov thought secretly in his mind. After these few days of fighting, his troops have suffered very heavy casualties. If they are allowed to continue fighting, they may not have much strength to participate in the next battle after the battle is over. Coming down from the Battle of Kharkov. Therefore, he euphemistically proposed: "In our defense area, there are also General Malankin's 81st Guards Division and General Trufanov's tank troops. I think they can go forward to the Kochetovka area." , threatening the German retreat and forcing Manstein to withdraw all his troops to the starting point of the attack."
"Misha, what's wrong with you?" Seeing Sokov's resistance to his orders, Zhukov suddenly became angry: "Are you worried that your troops will be exhausted in the battle and you will become a mere commander?"
Faced with Zhukov's doubts, Sokov did not dare to defend himself, because everything the other party said was right, and Sokov was worried that his troops would be wiped out in the next battle. In that case, I'm afraid it will take a long time to make up for it, causing me to miss many opportunities to make contributions.
"Misha," Zhukov saw that Sokov was slow to speak, and realized that his words were too strong, so he softened his tone and said, "I know that your current situation is not very good. If you continue to fight the German army, the troops will It will lose most of its combat effectiveness. But I have a way to restore your troops' combat effectiveness in the shortest possible time."
After being scolded by Zhukov, Sokov was originally like an eggplant beaten by frost. But when he heard Zhukov said that there was a way to replenish his troops, he suddenly cheered up like a chicken blood: "Comrade Marshal, you have Is there any way to replenish my troops?"
"I can give you a suggestion, but how much troops you can add depends on your ability."
"Comrade Marshal, if you have any suggestions, please tell me quickly."
"Misha, as a commander, you should understand that in every large-scale battle like this, a large number of officers and soldiers from both sides will be captured." Zhukov said on the phone: "Not only did the Germans become our prisoners, but also There are also some of our commanders and soldiers who have become prisoners of the enemy.
I remember that your troops liberated prisoner-of-war camps many times, freed the commanders and fighters detained there, and used a considerable number of personnel to supplement your troops. Am I right? "
"You are right, Comrade Marshal." Seeing that Zhukov had said what he was thinking, Sokov said a little embarrassedly: "I do have this idea, but where can I find a German prisoner of war camp? ?”
"This is your business." Zhukov said on the phone: "I have provided you with a plan to replenish troops. As for how to implement it and whether it can be implemented, it is your business."
After Sokov put down the phone, he glanced at the map, wondering where the Germans would imprison the commanders and fighters captured on the southern front of Kursk.
"Comrade Commander," Lunev saw that Sokov's eyes had not moved away from the map, and couldn't help but curiously asked: "What did Marshal Zhukov say to you on the phone?"
"Marshal said that our army has completely defeated the enemies outside Prokhorovka. The enemies who have suffered defeat are retreating to Belgorod." Sokov said without raising his head: "Marshal ordered We immediately advanced towards Kochetovka, threatening the retreat of the German left wing and forcing Manstein to withdraw all his troops to the original starting point of the attack."
Lunev and Samyko were overjoyed when they heard that the German troops outside Prokhorovka had been defeated and were retreating towards Belgorod. Samyko even took the initiative to ask: "Comrade Commander, since Marshal Zhukov ordered us to go forward to Kochetovka, has he said when will the two divisions be returned to their posts?"
"No, he didn't mention it at all." When he mentioned the two divisions that were transferred to the outside of Prokhorovka, Sokov's heart was bleeding. He felt like a meat bun beating a dog. No, it should be It was Liu Bei who borrowed money from Jingzhou and never returned it. He said with a grimace: "Comrade Marshal, let us find a way to solve the problems of the soldiers."
