After dark, the fighting outside Prokhorovka continued.
The situation on the battlefield was not as rumored. The German army had already entered the city of Prokhorovka. In fact, after the troops of the Flag Guard Division occupied the 252.2 heights, they could no longer move forward. The guards guarding the city
The commanders and fighters of the 9th Paratrooper Division continued to carry out counterattacks against the enemy, preventing them from expanding their results.
The October Farm occupied by the Skeleton Division on the north side of the highland was also counterattacked by troops reinforced by tanks. If Simon had not sent the reserve team in time, the German troops would have been driven out of the farm by the Soviet army.
At about two o'clock in the morning, a heavy downpour suddenly started falling in the sky. In the heavy rain, the officers and soldiers on both sides were so beaten by the rain that they could not open their eyes at all. The battle lasted for a day, and they could barely get up.
Zhukov stood in front of the window of the headquarters of the Voronezh Front, looking at the heavy rain falling like a waterfall through the window glass, and said worriedly: "If the rain is still falling by dawn, then our offensive will be affected."
"Comrade Marshal," the rain was so loud that Vatutin, who was standing next to him, had to raise his voice and said to him: "If it keeps raining, our air force will not be able to take off after dawn.
The offensive troops can only rely on the support of artillery fire to launch a counterattack against the enemy."
"Comrade Marshal," after Vatutin finished speaking, Vasilevsky continued: "If the heavy rain continues, the roads will become muddy and Rotmistrov's tank troops will not be able to deploy. You
Look, do you want to report to the High Command and request to postpone the attack?"
"No." Zhukov rejected Vasilevsky's proposal without hesitation: "We have to drive the Germans away from here while they are still on a weak footing. If it rains, the attack will be postponed.
Time, when they gain a foothold here, this battle may turn into a protracted positional battle."
"But, Comrade Marshal, look at how heavy the rain is outside." Vasilevsky said with a wry smile: "If we don't stop, let alone the air force, even our tanks will become muddy because of the road.
And cannot move forward. At that time, we will have to use infantry to attack."
…………
While Zhukov and others were worried about the weather, German Field Marshal Manstein was also unable to sleep because of the heavy rain. He stood at the door of the command cabin, looking at the heavy rain outside, and sighed secretly. He knew very well,
Such heavy rain will definitely make many areas impassable, and the plan to seize the city of Prokhorovka after dawn will probably have to be postponed.
"Your Excellency, Marshal," the adjutant, Colonel Burke, appeared behind Manstein and said cautiously, "I have just received the report from the reconnaissance unit."
Manstein closed the cabin door, blocking out the sound of rain, and asked casually: "Is it valuable information?"
"Yes, Your Majesty Marshal, it is very valuable information." Colonel Burke replied cautiously: "According to the report of the reconnaissance team, the Russians have assembled a large number of troops near Prokhorovka, preparing to attack at ten o'clock in the morning.
, carry out a comprehensive counterattack against our army."
When he learned that the Soviet army would launch a counterattack at ten o'clock in the morning, Manstein couldn't help but be stunned, and then asked: "Do you know who is commanding these assembled troops?"
"It's clear." Burke nodded and replied: "It's General Rotmistrov's tank army."
"Rotmistrov's troops?" Manstein couldn't help but frowned. He looked at the map on the table and said thoughtfully: "Isn't his troops east of Moscow? Why?
Arriving outside Prokhorovka so soon?"
"Your Excellency, Marshal, I think it was the Russians who couldn't stand it any longer, so they hurriedly transferred this force for reinforcements." Burke said: "Now the Russian troops in the Prokhorovka area have far exceeded
They have defeated us and are indeed capable of counterattacking us. It seems that we need to make preparations in advance."
"Rotmistrov is commanding the Guards Tank Army, which means that their combat effectiveness is stronger than that of ordinary Russian troops. We must take corresponding measures." Manstein finished these words.
, then ordered Burke: "You immediately send a telegram to the Flag Guard Division and the Skeleton Division and ask them to repair the fortifications overnight to prevent possible Russian counterattacks."
As soon as Manstein finished speaking, the cabin door was opened from the outside, and the chief of staff in a raincoat walked in from the door. While taking off his raincoat, he said to Manstein: "Marshal, it's raining too much outside.
I'm afraid it will have a negative impact on our attack after dawn."
"Chief of Staff, you came just in time." After Manstein called the Chief of Staff to come to him, he handed him the telegram in his hand: "This is the telegram sent back by the reconnaissance force. The Russians will arrive at ten o'clock this morning.
, launch a comprehensive counterattack against our army."
After reading the telegram in Manstein's hand, the chief of staff was shocked: "What, the Russians have assembled a group army near the city of Prokhorovka, or a Guards Tank Army." He scratched the back of his head and said with a stern expression.
, "Our troops have no fortifications to rely on. If the Russians launch an attack, I think our defense line may be quickly broken through."
"I think so too." Manstein nodded and continued: "So I just sent a telegram to the frontline troops and asked them to repair the fortifications overnight. As long as there are fortifications, it will be easier to block the Russian attack.
Many. In addition, didn't the Russians launch their attack at ten in the morning? We could have launched the offensive half an hour in advance and completely disrupted their offensive steps."
"Marshal, your plan is good." The chief of staff was still worried about the Soviet army's upcoming attack, but when he heard that Manstein had made a decision, he felt relieved and said flatteringly:
"I still remember that after you became the conqueror of Sevastopol, you once visited Petersburg, which is what the Russians call Leningrad. At that time, you were keenly aware that the Russians were about to launch an attack, so you decisively
You ordered our troops to launch the attack three days in advance, which completely disrupted the Russians' deployment, causing their attempt to break the siege to be completely shattered by you."
The flattery of the chief of staff made Manstein feel complacent. He even thought that if he had not noticed in time that the Russians would launch a counterattack and ordered the troops to launch an attack in advance, he might have been surrounded by Petersburg.
A gap will be opened by the Russians. Today, a similar thing will happen again outside Prokhorovka. I ordered my troops to attack in advance. While disrupting the Russians' offensive steps, I might be able to successfully break through their attack.
defense.
Thinking of this, he smiled at the chief of staff, and then told him: "Chief of staff, you should immediately draft an attack order and make sure it is communicated to all units before six o'clock tomorrow morning."
…………
At 3:30 in the morning, the rain outside began to subside.
The headquarters of the 5th Guards Tank Army was filled with commanders with generals on their shoulders. Their eyes were fixed on the commander of the army, General Rotmistrov, waiting for the order he was about to issue.
.
"Comrades," Rotmistrov said in a slightly hoarse voice: "Our superiors ordered us to go to the offensive starting position before four o'clock in the morning. Now there are only thirty minutes left before departure.
But the rain outside still shows no sign of stopping. I want to ask you, what are you thinking?"
"Comrade Commander," the first person to speak was Deputy Commander General Trufanov. He looked at Rotmistrov and said: "Since our superiors ordered us to set off at four o'clock, let alone it raining outside, even if
Even if the enemy's aerial bombs fall from the sky, we must also set off on time."
Trufanov's words immediately aroused the response of some division commanders: "Comrade Deputy Commander is right. Since the superiors have issued clear instructions, we cannot just disobey the superiors' orders just because it rains."
"I think it's better to leave on time."
However, Major General Bakharov, commander of the 18th Tank Corps, raised objections: "I disagree with the statements made by Comrade Deputy Commander and the commanders just now. You know, such heavy rains, for example, make the roads become
It's so muddy, how can our tank troops deploy?"
Rotmistrov saw that Major General Baharov's idea coincided with his own, so he nodded and said: "General Baharov is right. If the road becomes muddy due to heavy rain, our tanks will
They are not suitable for participating in the upcoming battle, so the tanks that are stuck in the quagmire will be destroyed one by one by the German anti-tank fire like target shooting."
Seeing that Rotmistrov opposed his opinion, Trufanov couldn't help but blush. Then he asked awkwardly: "Comrade Commander, what do you think we should do? Do we really need to postpone the attack?"
?"
"Comrade Deputy Commander," Rotmistrov looked at Trufanov and said solemnly: "To be honest, we traveled hundreds of kilometers to get to the city of Prokhorovka.
It is to crush the German attack on the city. If the attack cannot be launched on time, I will be more anxious than any of you."
He paused for a moment and then continued: "But I can't just ignore the actual situation and rush into an attack with little chance of winning just because I'm anxious. Therefore, I think we should be cautious about this matter and wait a little longer. If it comes to four o'clock,
, before the rain outside stops, I will call General Vatutin and ask him to postpone the attack."
Regarding Rotmistrov's statement, Trufanov thought for a moment and felt that it still made sense. If the rain continued to fall, not only would the planned air support be gone, but it would also be difficult for the tank troops.
After entering the battle, only the infantry will be able to participate in the counterattack. Based on his understanding of the combat effectiveness of the troops, it is basically an impossible task to defeat the elite German SS troops in front of them.
With five minutes left before four o'clock, a staff officer who was observing the weather outside hurried in and reported excitedly to Rotmistrov: "Comrade Commander, the rain outside has stopped."
"The rain outside has stopped?" Rotmistrov was overjoyed when he learned that the rain outside had stopped. He looked at the staff officer whose raincoat was still dripping in front of him and asked cautiously: "Comrade staff officer, are you really sure?
,Has the rain stopped outside?"
"It's absolutely certain, Comrade Commander." The staff officer replied decisively: "I personally made repeated confirmations outside before coming in to report to you."
"Comrade commanders," after confirming that the rain outside had stopped, Rotmistrov turned around and said to the many commanders in the room: "Since the rain has stopped, you all go back to your respective units.
According to the original plan, proceed to the designated attack starting position."
After the commanders agreed with a bang, they left the headquarters one after another.
When the hour hand pointed to four o'clock, the high-frequency phone on the table in front of Rotmistrov rang. He quickly picked up the phone and put it to his ear. Vatutin's voice soon came from inside: "Rotmistrov
General Mistrov, the rain outside has stopped!"
"Yes, Comrade General, I know that the rain outside has stopped." Rotmistrov knew the purpose of Vatutin's call and quickly reported to him: "My troops have attacked the designated location on time.
The departure position is set off."
After Vatutin got the answer he wanted, a happy smile appeared on his face: "Very good, General Rotmistrov, I believe your troops will achieve good results in today's battle."
.By the way, have you made any adjustments to your deployment?"
"Based on the intelligence obtained by the reconnaissance, I made some adjustments to the deployment of the right wing." Rotmistrov did not wait for Vatutin to ask, and took the initiative to say: "The right wing is Major General Baharov's 18th Tank Corps.
, they are divided into two echelons. The first echelon includes the 170th and 181st tank brigades, the second echelon is the 32nd motorized infantry brigade and the 36th Guards Tank Regiment, and the reserve is the 110th tank brigade, which is also equipped with self-propelled artillery.
The 1549th Regiment. They will launch an attack on the enemy along the deep valley two kilometers north of October Farm."
Vatutin knew that after October Farm was occupied by the Germans during the day, Rotmistrov's troops had carried out counterattacks many times, but all failed. Now that the attacking troops had bypassed October Farm, which was fortified by the German army, they might still be able to return.
It can catch the enemy by surprise, so he nodded and said with a smile: "October Farm is a tough nut to crack. As long as you bypass it and attack from the enemy's side, the enemy's defense line will quickly collapse."
At 6:30 in the morning, as the rain had completely stopped, Soviet air force fighter planes took off one after another and bombed areas where German troops were stationed.
Just as many German positions were bombed into a sea of fire, a newly intercepted message was placed in front of Zhukov. The content above was very simple. Manstein ordered the Flag Guard Division and the Skeleton Division at 9:30 in the morning.
At the same time, they launched an attack on the Soviet positions to disrupt the Soviet offensive plan.
After Vasilevsky tilted his head and read the telegram, he sneered and said to Zhukov: "Comrade Marshal, when Manstein inspected Leningrad at the end of last year, he noticed that our army had the intention to carry out a breakout operation, so he ordered him to
The troops launched the attack three days in advance, which completely disrupted our offensive steps and caused the rescue battle to end in failure. It seems that Manstein is repeating his old tricks and is preparing to disrupt our offensive plan again."
"Leningrad is Leningrad, and this is Kursk." Zhukov slapped the table hard and said sternly: "I will never let Manstein succeed. I will let him suffer a disastrous defeat here."