For Sokov, being able to contain the five most elite German divisions was a great victory.
In real history, the Soviet army holding on to Kharkov gave up unnecessary resistance on March 15 and carried out a breakout operation eastward. After losing a large number of soldiers and discarding countless technical equipment, the Soviet army launched the attack on March 17.
The Japanese withdrew to the left bank of the Northern Donets River and incorporated the Southwest Front on the spot. On March 18, the German Defense Forces' Gross German Division captured Belgorod.
It is now March 21, and Kharkov and Belgorod, which should have fallen long ago, are still in the hands of the Soviet army. The three SS divisions that occupied Kharkov were attacked by Sokov
After the heavy losses to the troops, they were hunkering down in Barvinkovo to lick their wounds. The Great German Division of the Wehrmacht was attacked by the Southwest Front and was still more than 200 kilometers away from Belgorod. In a word, as Solo
With the appearance of the butterfly Cove, the original battlefield situation has been completely messed up.
Sokov knew very well that the longer the delay with the Germans was, the more beneficial it would be for the Soviet army. After a while, the ice and snow would begin to melt on a large scale, and the roads would become even more muddy.
The German army's strength is insufficient, and the front may stabilize at its current position.
"Comrade Commander," Witkov saw Sokov standing in front of the map and not moving for a long time. He couldn't help but asked curiously: "What do you think the Germans will do next?"
"Chief of Staff, look." Sokov pointed to the map and said to Vitkov: "Our left wing is now General Krylov's 21st Army; and General Shumilov's 64th Army is now
Appearing on our right flank. If the Germans continue to attack our defense zone, their flanks will be in danger of being attacked."
Vitkov stared at the map and felt that what Sokov said was very reasonable. Due to the active defense some time ago, the Red Army village-Donetsk line, which was originally just a protruding part, has now become part of a parallel front.
.If the German army continues to attack the Red Army Village, it means that their left and right wings will be attacked by friendly forces. What was originally a dangerous move, under Sokov's operation, makes the military more advantageous to them.
"You are right, Comrade Commander." Seeing that the next situation would be more and more favorable to the Soviet army, Witkov also had a smile on his face. He slapped the map with his hand.
He said excitedly: "As long as the Voronezh Front can hold Kharkov-Belgorod, the enemies in Izyum and Barvinkovo will be within our arc-shaped encirclement."
Lunev, who knew only a little about military affairs, heard the two people talking so lively and came over to watch the fun. After listening for a while, he pointed to the left bank of the North Donne River and said to the two people: "You don't know yet?
General Tukov's First Guards Tank Army will be stationed in Oboyan today. As a result, the German army will not be able to break through our defense line on the North Donne River."
"Oh, General Katukov's First Guards Tank Army is about to enter Oboyan?" Sokov was overjoyed when he heard that Katukov's troops were coming. Even though the Soviet Union had so many tank generals, tanks
Marshal, but in Sokov's mind, the most powerful tank commander in the Soviet army was none other than Katukov.
Suddenly an idea came to his mind, asking Zhukov to let Katukov's troops launch an assault in the direction of Izyum, defeat the German 48th and 57th Armored Corps there, and completely eliminate the enemy's attack on Kharkov, Bel
Danger in the direction of Gorod and the Red Army Village.
But as soon as the idea came to him, he was crushed by him. Although General Katukov's First Guards Tank Army was a powerful unit in the Soviet army, launching an attack at this time would be limited by supplies.
The lack of preparation led to the failure of the attack. If this elite force were lost at this moment, then in the Battle of Kursk a few months later, this force would probably have to stand aside and watch the excitement.
Vitkov knew that Sokov had many fantastic ideas. When he heard him mention General Katukov's tank army, he expected him to come up with a bold attack plan. But after waiting for a long time, he saw that Sokov
Still without saying a word, he asked with some confusion: "Comrade Commander, do you think we can let General Katukov's troops assist us in launching an attack on Izyum?"
"No." Regarding Vitkov's proposal, Sokov shook his head and refused: "We cannot win if we launch an attack at this moment."
"Why?"
"The reason is very simple," Sokov pointed to Oboyan's position and said: "General Katukov's troops have just arrived here. I am afraid that many tanks have problems. If they are not repaired, they cannot be put into battle.
.And they don’t have much ammunition and fuel. If they launch an attack hastily without any preparation, it will be difficult to achieve the desired results. In addition, it is the season when the ice and snow melt, and the muddy ground is
The roads will make it difficult for our tanks to move, and the German artillery that sticks to the position will be able to destroy them all like target shooting."
Sokov convinced Vitkov, but Runev on the side had another idea in mind. He thought that he had just arrived in the Sixth Army and was not familiar with the commanders below. What if he advocated launching a counterattack?
If the Germans attack, he will soon become famous within the Sixth Army.
Thinking of this, he slipped out of the headquarters, returned to his residence, and said to a telegraph operator sitting in the corner: "Contact me immediately, Comrade Beria. I have important information to report to him."
Five or six minutes later, a telegram drafted by Lunev was placed on Beria's desk. After reading the telegram sent by Lunev, Beria walked to the map and carefully checked the enemy for a while.
After the situation map of both sides, he returned to his desk, picked up the phone, dialed a number, and said: "Hello, Poskrebyshev! Is Comrade Stalin here?"
Even though Boskrebyshev was Stalin's secretary, he was still a little scared of Beria. After hearing the other party's question, he quickly stood up and answered respectfully: "Yes, Comrade Beria, Supreme Commander-in-Chief
I am in his office."
"Comrade Boskrebyshev, please tell him that I have something important to report, and I hope he can take time to meet with me."
"Okay, Comrade Beria, please wait a moment, I will go to him for instructions immediately." After saying that, Boskrebyshev put the microphone on the table, walked into Stalin's office, and asked him for instructions: "
Comrade Stalin, Comrade Beria said there are important things that need to be reported to you immediately."
"What's the matter with Beria?" Stalin, who was reading documents, heard Boskrebyshev's voice, raised his head and asked in surprise: "What's the matter?"
"He didn't say."
Stalin knew that Beria would not call specifically to see him if he had nothing important to do, so he told Poskrebyshev: "Let him come over."
Boskrebeshe returned to his desk and picked up the microphone on the table: "Comrade Beria, the Supreme Commander himself invites you to come and see him."
A few minutes later, Beria appeared in Stalin's office.
"Comrade Beria is here." When Stalin saw Beria's appearance, he quickly asked him to sit down and asked: "How are you doing? When are you going to send Paulus to Moscow?"
"Comrade Stalin, this may take some time." Beria replied: "The place where he and the captured German generals are detained is still under construction, and it will probably take half a month before it can be officially put into use."
"We must find a way to bring him to Moscow as soon as possible." Stalin lowered his head, looked at a document in front of him and said: "According to Rokossovsky's report, German airborne troops have appeared near the place where he was detained.
, it seems that the Germans want to rescue their marshal."
"I understand, Comrade Stalin, I will urge the following to speed up."
"Tell me about it." After Stalin and Beria finished explaining, he asked about each other's background: "What's the matter with you coming here to see me?"
"That's right, Comrade Stalin, I received a telegram from Runev."
"Lunev?" Stalin asked tentatively after repeating the name: "Is it the Deputy Minister of the Interior Lunev who was sent to Xiao Misha as the military commissar?"
"Yes, that's him." After Stalin confirmed Runev's identity, he said with some displeasure: "Did he report something to you?"
"No." Beria quickly replied: "It is an attack plan formulated by Major General Sokov."
Hearing that the attack plan was drawn up by Sokov, Stalin couldn't help but his eyes lit up and he quickly asked: "Where does he plan to attack the German army?" Sokov commanded the three SS divisions some time ago.
The battle, in which soldiers lost their armor and armor, left a deep impression on Stalin. He even felt that as long as he had a few more people like Sokov in his army, the Germans would have been driven out of the Soviet Union long ago.
Beria came to the map, pointed to the location of Oboyan, and said to Stalin: "According to intelligence, General Katukov's First Guards Tank Army has entered Oboyan. And General Krylov's
The 21st Army and General Shumilov's 64th Army have all reached the two wings of Sokov's Sixth Army, which means they have formed parallel fronts in this area."
It was under this circumstance that Major General Sokov formulated this bold battle plan. He wanted General Katukov's First Guards Tank Army to attack from east to west to capture Izyum, and his troops
, then move north to seize Barvinkovo. As long as this strategic goal can be achieved, the enemy will have no organized troops on the left bank of the Dnieper River. In the following days, they can only retreat to the right bank of the Dnieper River, and
Our troops are engaged in a confrontation."
After listening to Beria's story, Stalin nodded slightly. He felt that although this offensive plan was bold, it was not without hope of success, and he could give it a try. However, the matter was of great importance, so he did not make an immediate decision.
Beria said: "I understand. But launching an attack against the enemy is a major matter, and we cannot make a hasty decision. We will make a decision after my comrades from the General Staff and I have studied the plan."
After sending Beria away, Stalin called Antonov: "Comrade Deputy Chief of Staff, please come to my office. I have something to talk to you about."
Taking advantage of Antonov's absence, he called Rokossovsky again. After a brief exchange of greetings, he asked directly: "General Rokossovsky, what is the battle plan formulated by Xiao Misha?
What are your thoughts?"
"The battle plan formulated by Xiao Misha?" Hearing Stalin's question, Rokossovsky couldn't help but be startled, and then replied in confusion: "I'm sorry, Comrade Stalin, I don't know what the attack plan is, because Soko
Major General Hu did not report to me."
"What, Xiao Misha didn't report his attack plan to you?" Hearing Rokossovsky's answer, Stalin also felt strange. He said with some confusion: "What on earth is going on?"
"Comrade Stalin," Rokossovsky said. Although he did not receive any report from Sokov, he knew very well that Stalin would not ask this without reason. There must be some reason, so he quickly asked: "I want to ask
Ask, where did you get this news?”
"It was Luniev, the military commissar of the Sixth Army, who sent a telegram to Beria and told him Xiaomisha's attack plan. Then Beria reported to me. What, you really didn't get the report?
?”
"No." After Rokossovsky gave the other party a negative answer, he asked tentatively: "Comrade Stalin, can you tell me what kind of attack plan it is?"
"Xiao Misha's offensive plan is for General Katukov's First Guards Tank Army to launch an attack on Izyum from Oboyan in the east, while Xiao Misha's troops will attack from the south to flank the enemies of Izyum.
.”
When he learned that it was the battle plan reported by Luniev, Rokossovsky immediately guessed what was going on. He quickly covered the phone, called Malinin, and ordered him: "Chief of Staff, please call Soko immediately.
I called Major General Hu and asked him if he had any battle plans."
After Malinin left, Rokossovsky removed his hand covering the microphone and continued: "Comrade Stalin, I think Comrade Lunev must have made a mistake. If Sokov has any attack plan, he will definitely launch it in
Report to me as soon as possible. I have not received any report from him until now. Therefore, I feel that the information you have received may be wrong."