That night, Manstein called Huot and asked directly: "General Huot, our fortress plan has failed. The troops attacking the right wing at the southern end of Kursk have all withdrawn to Belgorod. You
We should also withdraw our troops as soon as possible, otherwise we will face the risk of being surrounded by the Russians."
"Your Majesty Marshal!" Houth waited for Manstein to finish speaking, then said with a sad face: "The one blocking our way is Sokov's troops. The attacks I ordered the Grossdeutschland Division to launch during the day were all crushed by him. Moreover, our armored forces
We suffered huge losses under the Russian bombing. Without your help, I think it would be very difficult to return to Belgorod smoothly."
Manstein heard the implication from Huot's words: "General Huot, I hear you don't seem to want to lead the troops back to Belgorod?"
"Yes, Marshal." Seeing that Manstein had guessed his intention, Holt did not hide it: "Although our location is only thirty kilometers away from Belgorod, if we want to break through, we must be good at defense.
We are bound to pay huge casualties for the well-known defense line of Sokov's troops."
"Then what did you think about it?" Manstein asked.
"I plan to withdraw the troops to the southwest, via Red Yaruya, and enter Kharkov."
"No." Manstein glanced at the map in front of him and rejected Holt's plan without hesitation: "By way of Red Yaruja, you will have to march at least more than a hundred kilometers. Do you think the remaining armored forces will
Can the fuel still sustain such a long march?"
"Marshal Your Excellency!" Holt never wanted to go that far in his heart, but judging from today's battle, the Soviet fighter planes were the nemesis of his armored forces, preventing him from investing more tanks in the battle, lest he become a
The Soviet fighter planes targeted the attack. "The Russians' air power was too strong. If we did not have enough air force to carry out countermeasures, we would not have put more tanks into the attack."
"General Huot, you don't have to worry." After hearing this, Manstein finally understood what Huot meant. As long as he could get air support, he could invest more tanks and launch an assault on the Soviet blocking position.
Therefore, he said decisively: "I will send enough planes tomorrow to cover your southward breakout. In this way, you don't have to return to Kharkov via Red Yaruja in the southwest, right?"
Seeing that Manstein offered to send planes to assist in the battle tomorrow, Holt felt that his goal had been achieved, and he quickly said: "Your Excellency, Marshal, thank you. If you can really send a sufficient number of fighter planes to compete with the Russians for air supremacy on the battlefield,
, we are 90% sure that we can break through the Russian defense line in the morning."
"Don't worry, General Hott." Manstein said to Hott: "When you successfully break through, I will personally go to the outside of Belgorod to greet you."
At dawn the next day, Huot concentrated more than 300 artillery pieces of various calibers and launched a fierce bombardment at the positions defended by the 188th Infantry Division.
Seeing that his position was shrouded in artillery fire, Koida couldn't help but become a little anxious. He quickly contacted Sokov who was staying at the headquarters through the newly laid telephone line.
"Comrade Commander, this is Colonel Koida." As soon as the call came through, Koida couldn't wait to say: "The enemy's artillery is carrying out violent shelling on the defensive positions of our division."
"Comrade Colonel," Sokov had long expected that the enemy would shell the defensive position, so when he heard Koida say this, he was not surprised at all. Instead, he asked: "You can dig enough numbers on the position."
Are there any bombproof holes?"
"Dig it." Koida replied: "As soon as my troops entered the defensive position, they began to dig a large number of anti-gun holes."
"Since there are enough anti-gun holes, what are you worried about, Comrade Colonel?" Sokov said into the microphone: "I will immediately ask my superiors to dispatch the air force to bomb the enemy's artillery positions to reduce your pressure."
After ending the call with Koida, Sokov immediately ordered the director of the communications corps: "Director of the communications corps, please connect me to the headquarters of the Steppe Front immediately."
A few minutes later, the director of the communications corps told Sokov: "Comrade Commander, the call has been connected."
Sokov took the phone and said loudly: "I mean Sokov, I wonder who I am talking to?"
"It's me, Konev." Konev's familiar voice came from the receiver: "Major General Sokov, you are in a hurry to call me at this time. Is the enemy shelling your position? Do you want to
Do I send out the air force to support?"
"Yes, Comrade Commander of the Front Army." Seeing that Konev guessed his intention before he spoke, Sokov asked with some surprise: "Are you willing to send out the air force to support us?"
"It stands to reason that your group army is not under my jurisdiction now, so there is no need for me to send out the air force to support you." Hearing what Konev said, Sokov's heart suddenly went cold. Without the support of the air force, let alone holding on.
Ten hours, I'm afraid he wouldn't be able to withstand even one hour. But just when he was frustrated, he heard Konev continue: "But since Marshal Zhukov personally greeted me, he asked me to try every means
If I want to help you, then I will definitely obey the orders of my superiors and dispatch the air force to help you."
"Thank you, thank you so much." Sokov couldn't help but be overjoyed when he learned that Konev would obey Zhukov's order and dispatch the air force to support him. He thanked him repeatedly: "With your support, we will be more confident.
Hold the position. By the way, when will your air force arrive on the battlefield? Now my position has been hit by the enemy's powerful artillery fire. If the air force arrives too late, I am worried that there will be huge casualties..."
"Okay, okay, Major General Sokov, don't complain in front of me." Before Sokov could finish speaking, Konev interrupted him without hesitation: "I will order the Air Force
Get to the fighting area as soon as possible." In order to notify the air force to attack as soon as possible, after Konev said this, he hung up the phone without giving Sokov another chance to complain.
"Comrade Commander," Seeing Konev hanging up the phone so quickly, Samyko asked Sokov with some concern: "Do you think the commander of the front army is unwilling to send the air force to support us? Otherwise, how could he hang up so quickly?
What about disconnecting the phone?"
But Sokov said with a happy face: "Comrade Chief of Staff, you are worrying too much. General Konev is a man who does things vigorously and resolutely. He hung up the phone so quickly because he wanted to contact the Air Force as soon as possible and let them hurry up.
To the battlefield."
He put the phone back on the phone base, and then asked Sameko: "Chief of Staff, is the First Artillery Division ready for battle?"
"Yes, Comrade Commander." Samyko quickly replied: "A few minutes ago, I just spoke with Colonel Terenga, the commander of the 1st Artillery Division. He said that all artillery has locked the target and is only waiting for you.
Just give the order and you can fire."
"Comrade Chief of Staff," who knew that after listening, Sokov waved his hand towards Samyko and said: "I think it is up to Koida and Telenga to decide when to carry out the artillery bombardment.
After all, our headquarters is far away from the battlefield, and it is impossible to understand the situation on the battlefield in a timely manner. If we wait to receive the battle report from our subordinates and then designate the bombardment time based on the battle report, it will easily delay the fighter plane."
"I understand, Comrade Commander." After listening to what Sokov said, Samyko nodded quickly and said: "I immediately asked Terenga and Koida to establish contact, and they will negotiate when to start attacking the enemy.
Carry out shelling."
When Samyko went to the side to call the 1st Artillery Division, Sokov felt that this battle was just a group army action, and it would be difficult to achieve the predetermined goal. It must be supported by friendly forces. Thinking of this, he again
Let the director of the communications corps get through to the headquarters of the Voronezh Front.
After the call was connected, the person who answered the phone was Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Ivanov. After hearing Sokov's voice, he asked with some surprise: "Major General Sokov, is it the enemy who has launched an attack on your blocking position?"
Already?"
"Report to Comrade Chief of Staff." Sokov replied: "The enemy is bombarding our blocking position with intensive artillery fire. I am afraid that we will not launch a ground attack until the artillery bombardment is over."
"Is there anything we can do for you?"
"Yes, Comrade Chief of Staff." The purpose of Sokov's call is to let the front army headquarters urge the friendly forces to take action, so as not to have his own troops perform a one-man show: "I think it is necessary to let the friendly forces in the direction of Oboyan,
Launch a counterattack against the enemy to disperse the enemy's strength."
"Well, no problem." Knowing that Sokov had called to let the defenders in the direction of Oboyan attack, Ivanov replied without hesitation: "I will immediately notify the First Tank Army and the nearby
The troops of the Sixth Guards Army launched a counterattack against the enemies in the Oboyan area in the shortest possible time."
After saying this, Ivanov paused for a moment and then continued: "The Sixth Guards Army was adapted from your original 21st Army, and most of the division commanders are your old subordinates. If
If your two armies can successfully join forces, I hope you can take the initiative to take over the command."
In fact, even if Ivanov didn't say this, Sokov was planning to make a request to his superiors to command the two armies after the two armies joined forces. If there is no unified command, the two armies will do their own thing, and I am afraid there will be consequences.
The effect will be greatly reduced. Now that Ivanov said this, Sokov was given a Shangfang sword and was responsible for commanding the two armies, which became justifiable.
"Comrade Chief of Staff, thank you for your trust." Sokov said gratefully to Ivanov: "I will never live up to your expectations of me."
…………
The air force dispatched by Konev arrived over the smoke-filled battlefield a quarter of an hour later.
At this moment, the enemy's artillery fire has not stopped, and the tanks and infantry responsible for the ground attack are still gathering. So the arriving Soviet aircraft group continues to fly forward, and they are preparing to bomb the German artillery positions and the tanks and infantry that are gathering.
Soviet aircraft swooped down from high altitudes, dropped bombs and strafed at the German tanks and infantry assembled on the ground, using aerial bombs and bullets to turn the enemy tanks into burning scrap metal and the infantry into cold corpses.
When the news came that the attack force assembly point had been bombed, the artillery positions that were conducting shelling immediately fell silent, and the German artillery officers and soldiers began to move their positions to avoid becoming targets of Soviet bombers.
When Holt learned that his offensive troops had suffered heavy losses under the Soviet bombing, and that the artillery had hurriedly moved their positions, he was so angry that he stamped his feet and cursed in the headquarters, saying that Manstein had deceived him and promised to provide him with air combat.
The support was not fulfilled, causing heavy losses to the troops he was gathering.
Just when Holt was furious, a staff officer ran in from outside and shouted excitedly to Holt: "Your Excellency, Commander, plane, our plane is here!"
"Our plane is here?" Holt was scolding Manstein for not telling the truth. When he heard the staff said that the plane had appeared, he still couldn't believe it was true and quickly asked: "You read that right?"
"No, Your Excellency, Commander. I am definitely not wrong." The staff officer said excitedly: "I clearly saw the cross mark on the wings of the aircraft."
"Great, this is really great." When he learned that the eagerly awaited Air Force had finally arrived, Holt felt much more at ease. He called Chief of Staff Mei Linjin to him and told him: "Chief of Staff, wait for us
The aircraft drove away the Russian aircraft, and after regaining air superiority on the battlefield, they immediately launched an attack on the Russian blocking position."
"Understood." Mei Linjin replied: "I immediately called several division commanders and asked them to prepare for the assault."
With the arrival of German aircraft, the Soviet bombers and attack planes that were originally bombing German troops on the ground had to abandon their ground targets and start a battle with the approaching German fighter jets.
Hundreds of planes of various types were flying up and down on the battlefield, fighting fiercely. From time to time, planes would drag long black smoke ribbons, fly diagonally towards the ground, and finally land on the ground, causing earth-shattering explosions.
, and then billows of black gunpowder smoke rose up.
The air battle between the two sides lasted for more than 20 minutes. Because the Soviet fighter planes ran out of ammunition, they left the battlefield and flew towards their own airport. The German aircraft were afraid of encountering an ambush deep in the Soviet defenses, so they did not
Dare to pursue, but just lingered over the battlefield to embolden the German officers and soldiers who were preparing to break out.
After learning that the Soviet aircraft fleet had been driven away from the battlefield by his own fighter planes, Holt immediately said to his Chief of Staff with excitement: "Chief of Staff, immediately give an order to the assault troops to launch an assault on the Russian positions.
The road to Belgorod must be opened before ten o'clock in the morning."
As the order was issued, the German tanks and infantry, which had been frightened by the Soviet bombers and attack aircraft, began to advance toward the Soviet positions cautiously.
At the beginning, the tanks and infantry on the ground were still worried about attacks from the air. However, after advancing for a certain distance, the German officers and soldiers found that the sky was full of their own fighter planes, and there was no shadow of the Soviet aircraft group at all, so they began to become bolder.
The tank leading the charge in front accelerated its speed. The infantry following behind also changed from a long stride to a trot.
Koida, who was staying in the observation post to observe the battlefield situation, saw that the enemy was only 800 meters away from his own position. He quickly grabbed the phone aside and said to Terenga on the other end of the phone: "Comrade Colonel, the enemy is attacking.
The troops have entered the fire coverage position and you can fire."
