The Guards Division on the left had remained stationary since the battle started. Although Sokov felt a little uncomfortable, he did not think that he would not be able to win the battle without the support of friendly forces on the left.
Sokov stared at the map, secretly thinking that after this period of fighting, the German 19th Armored Division had suffered varying degrees of losses in both soldiers and equipment. Although he did not know the specific losses of the German army, Sokov was very clear.
It is clear that in the Battle of the Vistula in 1944, a Panther tank battalion of the 19th Armored Division destroyed dozens of Soviet tanks and crippled a tank corps like a shooting show. This situation is absolutely impossible today.
Appears during battle.
Lunev saw that Sokov had been staring at the map, thinking that he was worried about the ongoing battle, so he comforted him and said: "Comrade Commander, don't worry, even if the friendly forces on the left do not dispatch, if the situation is critical, we will
The troops near the Pushor River can be mobilized and thrown into battle."
"No need, Comrade Military Commissar." Sokov waved his hand and said confidently: "I believe that the troops that have already entered the battle are fully capable of defeating the German army." After saying these two sentences, he looked up at Samy.
Co asked, "Chief of Staff, how are our troops doing?"
"Comrade Commander," Samyko reported to Sokov with a newly received battle report in his hand: "The 188th Division attacking on the left wing encountered desperate resistance from the German armored forces, and its progress was relatively slow.
It is currently blocked by the Germans in front of the second line of defense, and its advance distance is no more than one kilometer. The 384th Division on the right wing has advanced smoothly and has now wedged five kilometers into the German defense zone to support it."
"Oh, wedged five kilometers into the German defense zone?" After listening to Samyko's words, Lunev turned to look at Sokov and said in surprise: "Major General Gritsenko's troops advanced so fast."
Unexpectedly, Sokov shook his head and said: "It's too slow, simply too slow. Two hours after the attack started, General Gritsenko's 384th Division actually only advanced five kilometers. They
Are you learning to crawl like a snail?"
Sokov's words confused Lunev. He did not understand that the 188th Division, which had only advanced one kilometer, Sokov did not say that their progress was slow; while the 384th Division, which had advanced five kilometers, was criticized for its speed.
Too slow. With this question, Lunev asked in confusion: "Comrade Commander, I think Major General Gritsenko's troops are advancing very quickly. How can you say that their actions are too slow?"
"Comrade Military Commissar, come and see." Sokov pointed to the map on the table and explained to Lunev: "The German army only has some infantry and a few armored units in front of the 384th Division. They can't stop it at all.
The infantry covered by two tank brigades. If Major General Gritsenko's speed could be faster, they could bypass the flank of the 19th Armored Division and return to the enemy's rear, cutting off the enemy's retreat.
As long as we complete the encirclement of the enemy, our attack on the 19th Armored Division will no longer be a rout battle, but a battle of annihilation. As long as the 19th Armored Division is annihilated, then the German flank and rear that are attacking the Oboyan area will
, completely exposed in front of us.”
Lunev stared at the map and was surprised to find that if the 19th Armored Division on the front was really wiped out as Sokov said, then the enemy who was attacking the Oboyan area would be in danger of being encircled by the Soviet army. If the enemy
If we don’t want the tragedy of Stalingrad to happen again, we will definitely stop the offensive and withdraw our troops to a safe area in time.
As long as the German army stops attacking Oboyan and returns to the starting point of the attack, it means that the Battle of Kursk initiated by the enemy will end with their defeat. By then, the 27th Army, which contributed to the enemy's defeat, may still be able to obtain the maximum
He received a direct commendation from the headquarters and received an eye-catching honor.
Thinking of this, Lunev raised his head and said to Sokov: "Comrade Commander, it is necessary to call General Gritsenko and urge his troops to speed up the attack to cut off the retreat of the 19th Armored Division."
"That's what I thought too. We must urge Major General Gritsenko to speed up the attack. Otherwise, when the German commander comes back to his senses, it will not be so easy to annihilate this force." After Sokov finished speaking, he ordered Sa
Meko said: "Chief of Staff, immediately sent a message to General Gritsenko, ordering him to speed up the attack, and be sure to cut off the enemy's retreat before they react, and create favorable conditions for the total annihilation of the 19th Armored Division."
In fact, the advancing speed of the 384th Division could not satisfy Sokov, not because of the strong resistance they encountered along the way. On the contrary, the resistance they encountered during the offensive was simply negligible compared to the 188th Division on the left.
No matter what. Sometimes I see fierce firepower on the enemy's position, but as long as the tanks cover the infantry assault, fire a few shots at the enemy's position, and the infantry charge again, the enemy's resistance will soon collapse.
Gritsenko had never fought such a smooth battle before. It was so smooth that he doubted whether he had fallen into the enemy's trap. Therefore, after capturing a German position, he would send troops to search nearby to confirm that there were no German troops.
He laid an ambush and then ordered his troops to attack the next German position.
After receiving the order forwarded by Samyko, Major General Gritsenko realized that his performance on the battlefield was too conservative. He quickly changed his mind and ordered his men to speed up the attack and destroy everything along the way in the shortest possible time.
The German forces resisted and moved to the rear of the 19th Armored Division, completely cutting off their retreat.
The German troops resisting the 384th Division's attack immediately withdrew to reserve positions as soon as their positions were lost. Taking advantage of the 384th Division's hesitation, they hurriedly adjusted their organizational defenses. According to Schmidt's idea, they attacked themselves.
The strength of the Russian force on the left wing will gradually weaken as the front becomes longer. In the end, it will only need a small number of troops to easily block their attack.
Unexpectedly, the 384th Division changed its attack speed without warning. After seizing the position, it no longer stopped to search and eliminate the remaining enemies. Instead, it only left a small number of troops to hold on to the occupied position. Its main force was still following the tank troops.
From behind, he rushed towards the depth of his own defense.
Schmidt noticed that the Soviet army's fighting style had suddenly changed, and he quickly asked his chief of staff: "Chief of Staff, under the powerful Russian offensive, our left wing may not be able to hold on for long. Can you tell me what can be done?
Save the defeat?"
"Your Excellency, Division Commander." the Chief of Staff replied: "From the moment the battle started, I have been observing the movements of the Russians. One thing is strange. Although Sokov's troops launched a fierce attack on us, their left wing was close to
The guard divisions and tank troops remained stationary."
Schmidt had long noticed what the Chief of Staff said. When he heard him mention this matter, he asked hesitantly: "There is no movement among these Russian troops. Is there any conspiracy?"
"Your Excellency, Division Commander, I think you are worrying too much." The Chief of Staff explained to Schmidt: "According to my observation, the cooperation between the Russian troops is very poor. Don't look at the troops on Sokov's left wing.
They fight side by side, but after all, they belong to different units and accept the command of different commanders."
The chief of staff did not know that Sokov's troops had been temporarily assigned to the command of Vatutin. He still thought that Sokov's troops were commanded by Konev. It was precisely because of the serious lag in intelligence that he reported to Schmidt
He made a wrong suggestion: "I think we can leave a small number of troops on the right wing to monitor the Russians opposite us, and then transfer the main force to the left wing to deal with Sokov's troops."
"Okay, Chief of Staff." Schmidt knew that if he did not reinforce the troops on his left wing, the defense line there would gradually fall, so he only thought for a moment before agreeing to the Chief of Staff's suggestion: "Leave a guard on the right wing.
The infantry battalion and a tank company were to monitor the Russian Guards division and tank troops, and the rest were immediately transferred to the left flank to strengthen the defense there."
The 188th Division, which was responsible for the left-wing attack, originally fought poorly. As Schmidt transferred the troops from areas without fighting to areas with fierce fighting, division commander Koida soon realized the seriousness of the problem.
He quickly ordered the communications troops to connect the telegram from the headquarters and report the situation here to Sokov.
"Comrade Commander," Koida said anxiously on the phone: "During the attack, our division found signs that the enemy seemed to be increasing its troops."
Knowing that the enemy was mobilizing troops, Sokov was not worried at all. He said to Koida: "Comrade Colonel, don't worry about your flanks and rear. I will arrange other troops to cover you. All you have to do is
Continue to attack forward. Once the 384th Division has completely cut off the retreat of the 19th Armored Division, you can launch an encirclement and annihilation operation against the enemy."
Putting down the phone, Sokov felt that he could get in touch with Zhukov at this moment and inform him of the situation on the battlefield. He ordered the director of the communications corps: "Comrade director, please get me through the front army headquarters immediately. I have important information and I want to report it to Comrade Marshal.
Report."
While the director of the communications corps was answering the phone, Samyko asked Sokov in a low voice: "Comrade Commander, what is the purpose of calling Comrade Marshal at this time?"
"The purpose is very simple." Sokov pointed to the map and said to Samyko: "The enemy is transferring the troops from their right wing to the left wing to strengthen the defense there. Now the enemy is facing the front of General Malankin and Trufanov.
Their defense is like a false defense. As soon as they launch an attack, they can quickly advance into the depths of the enemy like a training exercise."
Samyko stared at the map and thought for a while, feeling that what Sokov said made sense. He nodded and asked Sokov tentatively: "Comrade Commander, can you tell me why the front army headquarters did not let Malan
General Kim's troops launched an attack on the enemy at the same time as us, are they waiting for this moment?"
"It is entirely possible." Sokov agreed very much with Samyko's statement. He nodded and said: "If General Malankin's troops attack at the same time as us, the enemy will definitely resist desperately. Once the attack fails,
If it goes smoothly, then the war will fall into a stalemate.
But now we are launching the attack alone. The enemy is worried that General Malankin's troops will also participate in the attack, so they dare not easily mobilize their troops. When they find that their left wing can no longer hold on under our attack, the enemy can only take risks.
Move the troops on the right wing to the left wing to strengthen the defense there. In this way, the enemy's troops on the right wing will become weak. It should be the best time for General Malankin and others to launch an attack at this moment."
Before Samyko could speak, the call was connected. Sokov took the phone and heard Zhukov's voice: "Misha, I heard that your war is going well. The 384th Division is attacking from the right wing.
, has detoured back to the enemy's rear, and will soon be able to completely cut off the enemy's retreat and complete the encirclement of the 19th Armored Division."
Seeing that Zhukov knew the situation on the battlefield so well, Sokov couldn't help but feel happy, so that he could spend less time convincing the other party to use friendly forces on his left wing: "Comrade Marshal, you are right, my troops are progressing very smoothly.
.Now in order to block our attack, the enemy has to transfer their troops on the right wing and strengthen the defense on the left wing."
"So," Zhukov interrupted Sokov before he could finish his words: "There are not many Germans left in front of General Trufanov and General Malankin?"
"Yes, Comrade Marshal." Sokov replied: "As soon as they launch an attack, they can easily destroy the enemy's defense. Next, they can work with us to encircle Schmidt's 19th Armored Division.
."
"Misha, you are doing well." Zhukov sincerely praised Sokov and then said: "The reason why Comrade Vatutin did not let Malankin and others attack with you is because he was waiting for such an opportunity. To
Before long, you will see the troops on your left wing launching a strong attack on the enemy."
"Comrade Marshal," Vatutin said with a smile when he saw Zhukov put down the phone: "I really didn't expect that after only four or five hours of fighting, General Sokov forced Schmidt to send the main force of his right wing.
, were transferred to the left wing to strengthen the defense there. As a result, the enemy's defense on the front of General Trufanov and Malankin became extremely weak. As long as we attack, we can quickly wedge the German army
The depth of defense.”
"Comrade Vatutin," Zhukov waited for Vatutin to finish speaking and then urged him: "Since the best time to attack has arrived, why should we hesitate? Give the troops an order immediately and let them take advantage of the enemy's empty defense.
situation, decisively break through the enemy's defenses and create conditions for the total annihilation of this German force."
"Understood, Comrade Marshal." Vatutin agreed, then turned around and told Ivanov: "Comrade Chief of Staff, please give combat orders to Generals Trufanov and Malankin, so that they can attack across the board immediately.
, stormed the German 19th Armored Division on the front, and assisted General Sokov's troops, striving to completely annihilate this German force."
This chapter has been completed!