The bad news that came from the telegram was very clear and only one. The Soviet troops deployed on the wings of the 1st Heavy Tank Brigade of Stalin's Guards and responsible for attacking the Northern Skeleton Division and the Southern Reich Division had been defeated.
The Skeleton Division and the Imperial Division, which adopted roundabout offensive tactics, relied on strong armor support and powerful air strikes to advance rapidly. They continued to defeat the Soviet troops who came to attack them in an attack-on-attack manner.
Next, continue forward to launch a follow-up attack.
The Soviet infantry unit, whose legs could not outrun the tracks and wheels, suffered heavy casualties, and the Soviet tank unit was not much better either.
Those T3476 faced hordes of tigers and leopards, which were much larger than those in the existing history. They were beaten to the point where they abandoned their armor and were in a state of panic. After a wave of armored raids by the SS, they could often destroy dozens of people.
Even hundreds of medium and light tanks, whether it is T3476 or T70, cannot withstand this wave of black armor.
What's even more terrible is that the aircraft that Vatutin can mobilize are only two fighter divisions and one assault pilot division, and these three aviation divisions have suffered considerable losses in the battles in the past few days. And the battlefield
Compared to the overwhelming German air raids described in the uploaded news, the numbers were obviously not at the same level.
"Comrade Stalin, we still need more planes! The enemy has concentrated a large number of fighter planes in Prokhorovka on the southern front. They are densely packed and overwhelming! We must block their air attacks in order to repel the enemy and lose Prokhorov.
The consequences of the card will be disastrous!"
The situation on the battlefield was extremely urgent, and Vatutin, who did not care too much, directly called Stalin in the Kremlin in Moscow and asked for support.
Comrade Stalin, the father-in-law who was holding the microphone on the other end of the phone, looked very solemn. The situation of the troops in the north commanded by Zhukov was also not very good.
Like crazy, the Germans directly used armored troops to attack the Soviet positions protected by minefields. The tanks in front hit mines and were paralyzed, and the German tanks behind them followed closely and continued to attack. The attack rhythm was so fast that it almost overwhelmed the enemy.
The Soviet troops were out of breath. In previous battles, they had never seen the German armored troops look so crazy.
If the strategic depth were not large enough and there were multiple defensive positions prepared in advance, which could be used by the Soviet army to weaken the German offensive, Stalin even thought that Zhukov might send him a signal for help earlier than Vatutin.
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Fortunately, Zhukov, who is still in a defensive state, is still commanding the Kursk Northern Theater Command and continues to fight back and forth with the Germans. If he doesn't give in too much, some prepared strategic reserves can be dispatched now.
Vatutin, go to support.
"The plane you want will arrive soon, and the two newly formed fighter aviation divisions will be able to go to support and enter the battle today. But the ground support troops will have to wait a little longer, especially the tank troops. I will find a way
I will send you support from the north, but before that we must hold Prokhorovka and not retreat! We must not lose this strategic location!"
Stalin spoke more tactfully, and although it sounded promising, this was not the final result that Vatutin sought. The words came out with almost no hesitation as soon as the voice on the other end of the phone fell.
"Comrade Stalin, how long will it take for ground support to arrive? I would like to ask for the specific time!"
The majestic and domineering father-in-law Comrade Stalin was rarely questioned like this by his generals. Previously, the only frontline general who dared to continue questioning Stalin after he made a promise was Zhukov, who was famous for his bad temper.
On a normal day, such questioning might make Comrade Stalin unhappy on the spot, and the consequences of the Supreme Leader being unhappy are something anyone can imagine.
But now, at the critical moment when the situation is extremely urgent, Stalin, who puts the overall situation first, has no time to care about those trivial matters. Now is not the time to engage in such unimportant matters.
His thick black eyebrows and beard trembled involuntarily at almost the same time. Comrade Stalin, who hesitated for two or three seconds, then reported the accurate time.
"Tomorrow, at the latest this time tomorrow, ground reinforcements will arrive, including tanks and infantry. You must use these reinforcements to defeat the enemy's counterattack in the Prokhorovka theater, and you must not let this place fall into the hands of the enemy.
do you understand?"
Stalin once again made a promise to Vatutin, and now he needed to get the results he wanted to hear.
"Yes! Promise to complete the mission, Comrade Stalin! We will definitely repel all enemies who try to make a breakthrough in Prokhorovka. Victory will eventually belong to the Red Army!"
"I hope you will keep your word, Vatutin. I am waiting for your good news."
Snapped--
Stalin on the other end of the phone was the first to hang up the receiver.
Vatutin stared at the phone in his hand with a confused look, increasingly confused as to what the hell these German guys were planning.
Are the Krauts really anxious for a breakthrough in Prokhorovka?
Yes, Vatutin always thought so before, but the current situation is a little different.
The next move of the two SS divisions that defeated the Red Army troops in front of them was not a high-speed assault. They continued to penetrate and penetrate deeply into the Prokhorovka theater to complete the breakthrough.
The two SS divisions are now trying to merge together in an increasingly obvious semi-arc attack route. The inner line of the arc corresponds to the SS Division still entrenched in the October State Farm. These three echoing
The movement and deployment of the SS division clearly demonstrated a three-point encirclement situation.
From the perspective of the battle command level, Vatutin could see from the map that the Germans were in an obvious encirclement situation and seemed to be intending to eat all the Soviet troops in the Provo theater.
But the problem is that the total number of Soviet troops currently deployed in Prokhorovka is still more than 100,000, which even includes first-level integrated units directly under the front such as the 1st Stalin Guards Heavy Tank Brigade.
The German wants to eat his 100,000 men with three divisions? He has a big appetite!
Vatutin believed that he still had the ability to grasp the overall war situation. As soon as reinforcements arrived, he could launch a new round of attack on the Germans and reverse the situation in Prokhorovka.
But Vatutin, who was feeling a little uneasy, was more worried about Stalin's 1st Guards Heavy Tank Brigade. Malashenko was currently facing a situation where he was entangled by the Guards Division and was unable to withdraw even if he wanted to.
The other two SS divisions that were outflanking were now trying to encircle a total of more than 50,000 Soviet troops, including the 1st Stalin Guards Heavy Tank Brigade, and divide the entire Prokhorovka theater.
It was divided into two parts, with one knife cut in half, to encircle and suppress the surrounded Soviet troops internally, and to resist the attack of the Soviet support troops externally. It was intended to be carried out simultaneously.