Things turned out as Shulka expected, and Zhukov quickly convinced Stalin.
In fact, the word "persuasion" is not accurate, because Stalin still retained his opinions...
Stalin's idea was to wait for the ice and snow to melt and then immediately switch to counterattack, first recapture Kharkov and then liberate Donbas, and then pursue the victory to expand the results.
Since Zhukov firmly opposed it, Stalin had no choice but to put the plan aside.
But he didn't give up completely.
According to Stalin, "You can launch defense in Kursk according to your ideas, and we will also formulate an offensive plan. By next spring, we will decide whether to focus on defense or offense based on intelligence!"
To put it simply, it is to formulate two plans and prepare them with both hands, and wait until next spring to decide whether to attack or defend.
Stalin was indeed clever in doing this. On the one hand, it was not a bad thing to let Zhukov start organizing defense, and on the other hand, he did not give up his offensive plan and would not lose face.
However, Zhukov took over the entire Kursk and became the representative of the Supreme Command with the power to mobilize and deploy the main force of the Soviet army.
These things happened within a day when Zhukov flew to Moscow and then returned. Then when Zhukov returned to Voronezh, Shulka was immediately called to the headquarters again.
This is not a difficult problem for Shulka, because at this time he has already equipped with a brand new American Jeep.
The car was assigned by Sarayev... It was said to be a gesture of thanks to Shulka for his teachings to the 11th Infantry Division.
But Shulka knew what was going on.
You must know that Zhukov is the Supreme Deputy Commander, the most powerful person in the Soviet military.
Although the power of the military generals has always been unstable... this can be said to be "the crime of cherishing a treasure". The army is indeed a good thing. It represents the fist and strength, but it is precisely because of this that Stalin did not trust the army generals, so the army generals
Including the marshal, they were all targets of scrutiny, and everyone had to keep their tail between their legs, otherwise they would be shot at every turn.
The problem is that the situation is a little different now.
Zhukov, who has the most power in the military, is a brother-in-law to Shulka, and Beria, who has the most power in the Ministry of Internal Affairs, favors Shulka... Sarayev is so brave that he does not dare to neglect it!
So Shulka had a jeep and a dedicated driver.
Although Shulka has a psychological shadow on American jeeps, he thinks that the war will not start until at least next year when the ice and snow melt. This winter, there is basically no need to worry about enemy bombing. In addition, jeeps are very suitable for driving in the snow...American jeeps are light in weight.
, the off-road performance was good, and it was really difficult for a few people to get out of the car and push it, so I didn’t refuse.
As soon as I walked into the headquarters, before I could rush to report to Zhukov, I was hugged by someone: "Are you okay, Comrade Shulka!"
Taking a closer look, it turned out to be Rokossovsky.
"Why are you here, Comrade Rokossovsky?" Shulka asked in surprise. Rokossovsky should have organized defense on the Don River.
"I asked him to come!" Zhukov explained: "I plan to transfer the Don River Front Army to Kursk to be responsible for the defense of Kursk! To be precise, it is the Central Front Army... I plan to reorganize the Don River Front Army into the Central Front Army
!”
Shulka said "Oh".
This is not surprising. The Soviet army's strategy was to defend first and then counterattack, that is, to retreat in a planned manner first, consuming the enemy's effective strength while retreating, and then launching a counterattack after the German army's strength was greatly weakened.
When many people look at this strategy, they will immediately think that "counterattack" is the most difficult.
But this is not the case. "Retreating while consuming the enemy's vitality" in the early stage is the most difficult, and it will be much more difficult than "counterattack".
Especially the Soviet army...the Soviet army, which had poor morale, low quality, and extremely backward communication equipment, often retreated endlessly as soon as they retreated. They were asked to "consumption of the enemy while retreating"...that was simply difficult for them.
Therefore, a most capable commander is needed to take command, and this commander is none other than Rokossovsky.
"Let's take a look at this!" Then Zhukov invited Shulka to the map, pointed at the map and introduced: "This is our preliminary plan. The Central Front Army and the Voronezh Front Army are responsible for the northern half and southern half of Kursk respectively.
For the defense of the base, the Bryansk Front and the Western Front are responsible for protecting the northern flank, and the Southwest Front protects the southern flank! The moment the enemy's attack stops at the Don River line, it will be time for us to launch a counterattack. What do you think?"
This is indeed a feasible plan. The Don River is a natural barrier behind Voronezh. The Soviet army only needs a small number of troops to block the momentum of the German offensive on the Don River defense line. No matter how fierce the German offensive is, at this time the German army
The offensive line will change from a bulge facing the German army to a bulge facing the Soviet army, so the Soviet army can counter-encircle the German army.
but……
"We should have a reserve team!" Shulka said.
"We have a reserve team!" Zhukov replied without thinking.
This is common sense, and Zhukov would certainly not make this mistake.
"No, that's not what I mean!" Shulka explained: "I mean, we need a front army, a front army reserve!"
"A front army?" Zhukov couldn't help but be stunned.
You must know that five front armies have been invested in his plan, which can be regarded as a big deal. After all, the Kursk salient is just an area 50 kilometers long and 160 kilometers deep. If the German army's previous advance speed, two or three
This area can be eaten up in just a few days.
But now, Shulka actually asked for one more front army to be added to these five front armies as a reserve force.
"Yes!" Shulka replied: "And the preparations must be made secretly. No one can know about it! Even the front troops themselves should not know their mission. They should be able to quickly mobilize before the battle or even shortly after the battle occurs.
To the Kursk region!”
When Shulka said this, Zhukov and Rokossovsky understood.
"Yes!" Rokossovsky said: "Everyone knows that there will be a fierce battle in Kursk. Since we can all guess it, the Germans certainly know that we are prepared! Therefore, our deployment
It will not be a secret to them. In other words, if we have five army groups, they will also have corresponding strength, or they believe that they can defeat us with these forces! Therefore, we need to have a front army prepared
Team, an unplanned reserve team!" (To be continued)