What Rokosovsky considered was how Kursk should stick to it and whether it should stick to it. This is a later story. The current top priority is to report the news that Istrian camp occupied Kursk and immediately report it to the Supreme Commander himself.
Because the war in the south of Moscow was unfavorable, and the German Paulus's 6th Army and Hot's 4th Armored Army were also rushing towards the Caucasus and Stalingrad. Therefore, Stalin was furious in his office for the new Chief of General Wassey Vasilevsky.
Hearing the phone ringing on the table, Stalin walked over and picked up the microphone, put it in his ear and asked, "What's the matter?"
Poskrebeshev's dry voice came from the earpiece: "Comrade Stalin, General Rokosovsky called from the front line, and he said there was an emergency to report to you."
Is there an emergency to report to himself? When Stalin heard Poskrebeshev say this, he guessed in his heart that what Rokosovsky wanted to report to him must be some bad news. After all, a few days ago, due to the death of General Lidukov, the commander of the Tank Army, the attack that seemed to have hope of success ended in failure. So he ordered coldly: "Click his phone in."
As soon as the phone was called, Stalin suppressed the anger in his heart and raised his voice and asked, "Comrade Rokosovsky, call me at this time. Do you have any bad news to tell me?"
Rokosovsky, who had touched a soft nail, hesitated for a moment and said, "Comrade Stalin, I call you, there is good news to tell you. We have successfully occupied Kursk."
Stalin's thoughts were obviously still on the fact that the Soviet fronts were not going well, so when he heard Rokosovsky say this, he said without hesitation: "Comrade Rokosovsky, your attack in the direction of Voronezh has not made any decent progress. He just captured a small Kursk, what is there to show off to me?"
Huasilevsky, who was standing aside, heard Stalin mention Kursk in a disdainful tone, and couldn't help but exclaim, and then rushed to the big map hanging on the wall. As the chief of staff of the Red Army, Huasilevsky understood the importance of Kursk more than anyone else. Once the Soviet army occupied this place, it would be like wedged into the German defense zone and established a protruding part that could be used for attack.
Seeing that Huasilevsky was so disobedient, Stalin covered the microphone with his hand and asked at him unhappy: "Comrade Huasilevsky, what is it that makes you so disobedient?"
"Comrade Stalin, Kursk, Kursk!" Huasilevsky's voice changed and emphasized: "Rokosovsky's troops captured Kursk, which is an amazing victory. It is equivalent to establishing a prominent part in the existing German defense line, so that our army can use this as a starting position in the future and launch an attack on the German defense depth."
Stalin knew the importance of Kursk. He just now was so absent-minded that he did not associate the place name mentioned by Rokosovsky with such an important strategic point. Hearing Vasilevsky say this, he quickly let go of his hand covering the microphone and asked Rokosovsky in a slow tone: "Comrade Rokosovsky, what did you just say? Your troops occupied Kursk?"
"That's right, Comrade Stalin." Rokosovsky couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief when he heard Stalin's tone become so peaceful, and felt that the decision he had made to report the victory to Stalin was very correct. After taking a deep breath, he continued: "Major Sokov sent me a telegram saying that the Istrian camp he commanded had successfully occupied Kursk."
"Excellent, this is a great victory. Please express my gratitude to Major Sokov on behalf of me." After saying this, Stalin suddenly remembered something and then asked: "Isn't he the acting commander of the 31st Guards Division? Why did he become the battalion commander of the Istria Battalion again?"
"Comrade Stalin, this is the case." Rokosovsky heard Stalin ask about Sokov and felt that it was necessary to explain to him, otherwise a division commander suddenly became a battalion commander, and he would feel that the other party had made some mistakes and was demoted: "When I was transferred from the 16th Army to the Bryansk Front, I brought several commanders, one of which was Major Sokov. Since he had no suitable position to place him, I asked him to continue to command the Istrian Battalion."
After hearing Rokosovsky's explanation, Stalin laughed and said, "So that's the case. I thought he had made some mistakes and was demoted by you." After pausing for a moment, he said to the microphone, "Comrade Rokosovsky, I don't even say it, you should understand it in your heart. Just relying on the troops of the Istrian battalion, you can't defend Kursk at all. You must send troops to reinforce them immediately and consolidate the defense there. Do you understand?"
"I understand, Comrade Stalin." Rokosovsky replied quickly, "I will send reinforcements to Major Sokov immediately."
After Stalin put down the phone, he walked to the map, stared at Kursk's location for a while, and said to Huasilevsky: "Rokosovsky's troops are limited. If they want to defend Kursk, they will inevitably weaken the strength in other directions. Comrade Huasilevsky immediately drew two infantry divisions and three tank brigades from the base camp's reserve team, as well as a sufficient number of artillery soldiers to rush to Kursk as quickly as possible."
At this moment, Sokov, who was staying in Kursk, did not realize the importance of the city. He still wanted to make a vote here and leave. Therefore, he summoned the company commanders of each company to discuss with them how to empty the German warehouse in the city.
When Sokov proposed this proposal, Belkin smiled bitterly and said, "Major, although there are more than 400 people in the battalion, we can use less than 100 soldiers to transport supplies except for the troops and wounded who serve as guards. It will take at least a few months to move so many supplies, and the Germans can't give us such a long time."
"Yes, Comrade Battalion Commander." As soon as Belkin finished speaking, Vasily added: "It was the warehouse I personally led to occupy, and the supplies were enough to equip two divisions. Note that I was talking about the German military advisor, not our division. And there were twenty tanks, and a considerable number of various types of artillery. If we had enough soldiers, we could form an infantry army in the shortest time."
"There are some soldiers, but it is difficult to form combat effectiveness in a short period of time." The speaker was unintentional. The listener was intentional. Vasily's words reminded Sokov of an important thing. He quickly said to the first company commander Vanya: "Captain Vanya, the captured German garrison commander Kempka confessed that in the forest south of the city, there was a prisoner of war camp that imprisoned nearly a thousand prisoners of our army. They were either captured in the battle of Kharkov or in the battle not long ago. There were only more than forty guards in the prisoner of war camp. You immediately lead a company to the prisoner of war camp. If you can rescue them smoothly, our battalion will be able to receive enough troops."
"Yes, Comrade Battalion Commander." After hearing Sokov's order, Vanya immediately stood up and replied, "I will lead my troops to the prisoner-of-war camp in the south of the city to seize the prisoner-of-war camp before dawn."
After Wanya left, Sokov continued to arrange the transportation of supplies: "I think it would be impossible to move all the supplies for so many years. We also need to mobilize all the residents of the city and distribute them the food stored in the warehouse to them first, so that they can have the strength to help us empty the German warehouse."
"This is a good idea." Belkin immediately agreed with Sokov's statement: "It's too late now. Due to the German curfew policy, they still don't know that our army has occupied the city. When it dawns, I will immediately arrange political workers to mobilize residents from door to door to help us."
As soon as Sokov reached a resolution with his commanders to empty Kursk, Lieutenant Maxim hurried in from outside and handed a telegram to Sokov: "Major, this is a call from the Army Command."
Sokov took the telegram from Maxim with confusion and looked down. After seeing the telegram, he frowned and thought for a moment, and then said to Belkin and the other two company commanders: "The Army Command sent a telegram to send the 7th Tank Army under Major General Rotmistrov to reinforce us, hoping that we would defend Kursk at all costs."
"Major Sokov," Belkin and Sokov finished speaking, asked tentatively: "So, we don't need to empty the German warehouse?"
"No need to move." Thinking that in the Battle of Kursk a year later, Rotmistrov, who was about to lead his troops to the city, Sokov gave up the idea of moving away German supplies and began to issue orders: "Comrade Belkin, after dawn, he will organize people to distribute food to the residents in the city, and then mobilize the workers in the factory to help us strengthen the city's defense and persist until the reinforcements arrive."
"Mobilize the workers in the factory?" Belkin asked hesitantly: "Major Sokov, can they do it?"
"No problem," Sokov said confidently: "There should be many militia workers in the factory. As long as they mobilize them, our defense will be strengthened."