The tank battle outside Prokhorovka took longer than Sokov expected. In fact, this is easy to understand. Regarding this battle, there were only a few understatements in the history books, and there was no mention of it.
How long the battlefield lasted and how many tanks were used by both sides is still a matter of endless debate.
Although Sokov did not witness this battle with his own eyes, according to the information he had, there were more than 400 Soviet tanks outside Prokhorovka, and the total number of German tanks and self-propelled artillery was more than 100.
.Except here, the Soviet Union and Germany in other directions each have hundreds of tanks. If these numbers are added up, even if it does not reach a thousand, it is not far from this number.
Since the battle outside Prokhorovka has not ended yet, General Polubyarov's tank army was basically in a state of doing nothing after arriving at the designated position. Looking at his tank soldiers, they were all sitting on the tanks.
, watching the infantrymen building fortifications boredly, Polubyarov felt that Sokov should arrange some work for him, which would be better than being idle and bored now.
"Comrade Commander, this is Polubyarov." As soon as the call was connected, General Polubyarov said straight to the point: "Two hours have passed since our army entered the designated position. Except for
Apart from the two small transport teams, there was no trace of the Germans at all."
"It's a good thing for you that you can't see the shadow of the Germans." Sokov replied with a smile: "This way you will have enough time to maintain the tanks, so that when the battle starts, you can use them at your best."
into battle."
"But when can we go into battle?" Polubyarov muttered: "Now, whether it is to our east or west, friendly forces are engaged in fierce battles with the enemy. But our soldiers are
Stay where you are and watch the fun, so that everyone will be in the mood."
Since the enemy has not appeared for a long time, it is indeed inappropriate to let General Polubyarov's tank corps stay in place and do nothing. But for a while, there was no suitable combat mission to be assigned to the tank corps. Sokov
He could only say helplessly: "Comrade General, don't be anxious. There are many opportunities to fight. Your task now is to take a good rest. But at the same time, you have to send out tank detachments to intercept the enemy's transport convoy so that they cannot
Transport ammunition and fuel to Prokhorovka. As long as you cut off the enemy's supply line, the enemy will not be far from defeat."
"Okay, Comrade Commander." Since Sokov said this, Polubyarov could only bite the bullet and reply: "I will send a tank squad to intercept the enemy's transport convoy and cut off the enemy's supply line.
"
As soon as Sokov put down the phone here, he saw Colonel Mashkov, the political commissar of the 188th Division, appearing in the headquarters. Since the 188th Division was stationed here, Mashkov has been staying with the grassroots troops and his political workers.
The personnel carried out propaganda and agitation work for the soldiers to boost their morale.
Seeing him appear in the headquarters at this moment, Sokov raised his eyebrows and asked casually: "Colonel Mashkov, why are you free to come back to the division headquarters today?"
"Comrade Political Commissar." Koida also saw his political commissar for the first time after arriving here. He asked curiously: "Did something happen?"
"Yes, there is indeed something wrong." Mashkov nodded, picked up a cup of tea on the table, drank it in one gulp, and then said: "After successive battles, the 568th Regiment now only has
There are more than 300 people left. If the German army chooses the area they defend next time they attack, I am worried that the position may be lost."
"What, there are only more than 300 people in the 568th Regiment left now?" Koida was shocked by the number Mashkov said. You know, when the troops first stationed here, there were more than 1,800 people in the 568th Regiment.
, now less than two days have passed, and the group has only a fraction of its original size left.
Koida picked up the phone, ordered the communications soldier to connect to the regiment headquarters of the 568th Regiment, and asked the regiment leader who answered the phone directly: "Comrade Lieutenant Colonel, I heard that there are only more than 300 people left in your regiment. Is this true?"
Of?"
The lieutenant colonel leader quickly replied: "Yes, comrade division commander. There are only more than 300 people left in our regiment..."
"Why didn't you report it?" Before the other party could finish speaking, Koida got angry: "Do you know that if the entire division's defense line is breached due to insufficient troops in your regiment, can you afford to bear the responsibility?
"
"Comrade division commander, even if there is only one person left, we will never let the Germans pass our position." The lieutenant colonel assured Koida: "Please believe me, we will definitely do everything we can to defend our position."
"
"Nonsense, you are just being ridiculous." Koida continued to roar: "If Comrade Political Commissar hadn't told me, I wouldn't have known that your regiment had such a serious attrition. If you were silently wiped out by the German army, by then
Who should be held responsible for the loss of position?”
"Comrade Colonel, give me the phone." Seeing Koida yelling into the phone, Sokov walked up to him and stretched out his hand: "Let me have a word with Comrade Lieutenant Colonel."
Koida did not dare to refute, so he could only obediently hand the microphone in his hand to Sokov. Sokov put the microphone to his ear and said kindly: "Comrade Lieutenant Colonel, I am Sokov."
"Hello, comrade commander!" The lieutenant colonel became a little nervous when he heard that the person speaking was Sokov. "Do you have any instructions?"
"Comrade Lieutenant Colonel, I admire your determination and courage to sacrifice your life to defend our great motherland. But..." Sokov felt that when fighting the enemy in positional warfare, we cannot blindly confront the enemy head-on.
Paying attention to some strategies, he said tactfully: "Sacrifice for the country is never the way to win the war. The way to win the war is to let your enemies sacrifice for their country!"
The lieutenant colonel never dreamed that Sokov would say such a thing, and for a moment he didn't know how to reply.
Seeing that the lieutenant colonel did not speak, Sokov continued: "Sooner or later, the war will end. Those of us who live until the day of victory cannot become idle just because the war is over. On the contrary, we have a lot of work.
What we need to do is to rebuild the cities and farms that were destroyed by the war. Not only ours, but even the enemy's cities and farms, we have an obligation to help them rebuild."
"Comrade Commander, I don't understand." The lieutenant colonel became more and more confused as he listened: "Why should we help the enemy build cities and farms?"
"The reason is simple. When the enemy was defeated by us, their land was also occupied by us." Sokov explained to the lieutenant colonel: "Now that the war is over, we should use our energy to build those
Occupied land. Do you understand?”
After Sokov's simple and straightforward explanation, the lieutenant colonel finally understood what he meant: "Comrade Commander, I understand. This should be what you often taught us before. In battle, we must know how to preserve ourselves and destroy ourselves."
The enemy achieves the greatest victory at the smallest cost."
"That's right, that's what it means." Seeing that the other party understood his intention, Sokov showed a happy smile on his face: "How about it, can you still persist?"
After hearing the question raised by Sokov, the lieutenant colonel hesitated for a long time and then said: "Comrade Commander, the troops I have now are limited, and the wounded account for a large proportion. If the enemy attacks our regiment's position again,
We may be able to block one attack, but if there are too many attacks, we may not be able to hold our position."
Sokov noticed a trace of frustration in the lieutenant colonel's tone, so he comforted him and said: "Comrade lieutenant colonel, don't worry. I will send troops to take over your defense as soon as possible, but before that, you need to report to
I promise that I will never lose our position to the enemy."
When he learned that Sokov was about to send troops to take over his defense, the lieutenant colonel couldn't help but be overjoyed. He quickly replied: "Don't worry, comrade commander, as long as one of us is still here, we will never give our position to the Germans.
"
"Comrade Lieutenant Colonel," Sokov felt that it was important to change the defense, but if the new troops took over the defense and were attacked by the enemy before they had time to familiarize themselves with the environment of the position, they would probably suffer a loss. In order to avoid this situation,
He specifically said to the lieutenant colonel: "After handing over the defense, you must leave a few commanders and fighters who are familiar with the position and let them help the friendly forces get familiar with the environment as soon as possible. How about it? Can it be done?"
"No problem, Comrade Commander." The lieutenant colonel vowed: "I will personally take people to stay and assist the friendly commanders and fighters to familiarize themselves with the environment of the position."
Koida waited for Sokov to put down the phone and immediately said anxiously: "Comrade Commander, my three regiments are suffering heavy casualties now. Which unit do you plan to send to take over their defense?"
Sokov glanced at Koida and then said: "In addition to your 188th Division, there are also two regiments of the 182nd Division, an infantry brigade and two Marine Corps brigades currently stationed in this area.
. From among them, any troops can be randomly selected to take over the defense of the 568th Regiment."
Koida knew all about the troops Sokov mentioned and knew the combat effectiveness of each unit. Therefore, he waited for Sokov to finish and then asked again: "Then which troops do you plan to send?"
"In my opinion, let's let Colonel Chuvashov's 84th Marine Brigade pass by." Sokov chose this unit without hesitation because it included Shamrih who he brought with him.
and others, the position led by these old subordinates is undoubtedly reassuring: "As we all know, the navy's combat effectiveness has always been stronger than the army. I think it is completely appropriate for them to take over the defense of the 568th Regiment."
"You are right, Comrade Commander." Koida agreed with Sokov's statement: "In our army, the quality of naval commanders and combatants is the highest. Not only do they have high academic qualifications, but also
They have also undergone rigorous training and their combat effectiveness is definitely better than those of the army who only learned how to fire a gun and were sent to the battlefield. I have no objection to Colonel Chuvashov's troops taking over the defense."
Since Koida had no objection, Sokov still habitually sought the opinion of division political commissar Mashkov: "What about you, comrade division political commissar, do you think it is appropriate for the Marine Corps Brigade to take over the position of the 568th Regiment?
?"
"It's appropriate, it's so appropriate." Mashkov confirmed that Sokov would send the Marine Brigade to take over the defense of the 568th Regiment. He couldn't help but smile. He kept saying: "Our heroic sailors will carry out the defense. The enemy
No matter how fierce our offensive is, don’t try to break through our army’s defense again.”
Sokov personally called Colonel Chuvasov and asked with a smile: "Comrade Colonel, how are you feeling today?"
"It's uncomfortable, Comrade Commander, I feel very uncomfortable."
"Why?" Sokov asked curiously.
"On the position four to five hundred meters away from us, the friendly forces have been fighting the Germans, while our sailors are staying in the fortifications doing nothing." Colonel Chuvashov said with a wry smile: "Comrade Commander, I'll tell you the truth.
, I heard the gunshots and explosions outside, and I felt as if there were eighteen cat claws scratching me. If this continues, I will probably go crazy. Comrade Commander, I beg you,
Hurry up and assign us combat missions."
"Comrade Colonel," Sokov felt very pleased when he heard that Chuvashov was eager to fight. The military commanders of the army were eager to fight, and the soldiers under his command must not be able to hold back. He said slowly.
: "I have an important task now that I want to leave to you to complete."
When he learned that Sokov was going to hand over the task to him, Chuvashov immediately became energetic: "Comrade Commander, please tell me."
"The 568th Regiment, which is stationed on the far right, has suffered serious depletion after days of fighting and can no longer withstand the enemy's onslaught." Sokov stopped the smile on his face and said seriously: "In order to ensure that the position is not lost, I
It has been decided to send your brigade to take over the defense of the regiment."
"Great, this is really great." Chuvasov almost jumped up when he heard that there was a battle. He said repeatedly: "Comrade Commander, I will lead the troops to take over the defense of the friendly forces."
"Comrade Colonel, wait a moment." Sokov heard that the other party was in a hurry to leave, and remembered that he had something to tell him, so he stopped him: "After you take over the defense, the commander of the regiment will continue to stay in the position.
Come on, help you get familiar with the environment. His military rank and position are lower than yours, and you will have the final say on everything on the battlefield."
When Sokov just said that the head of the 568th Regiment was going to stay, Chuvasov was still quite worried. If there were two military chiefs, he would be responsible for the problem. If there was an emergency, who would be responsible?
Who has the final say? If the battle fails, who should bear the responsibility? Fortunately, what Sokov said next gave Chuvashov reassurance. As long as he has the final say on the battlefield, then
No more problems.
The troops to take over the defense have been selected, but this is not enough. After all, those who hold the position are infantry. Even with the assistance of era-changing equipment such as rocket launchers, it is still very difficult to block the onslaught of the enemy's armored troops. Think of it.
Not long ago, General Polubyarov felt that his troops looked boring and took the initiative to ask for troops. At that time, considering that they were not needed for the time being, he rejected Polubyarov. To hold on to the position at this moment, tanks are definitely needed.
In order to obtain the cooperation of the tank army, Sokov ordered people to connect to the tank army's headquarters.
"General Polubyarov," Sokov said into the microphone: "Immediately deploy a tank battalion, detour from the right side of our defensive position, and find a suitable place to hide. Wait until the enemy's armored forces move toward
When our position launches an attack, you attack decisively, severely beat their left flank, and crush their offensive against our position."