Chapter 1241 Concentrating Forces

"Comrade Colonel, you are right." Sokov expressed his support for Koida's statement: "With our current strength, plus the left-wing Guards Division, if we want to block the German three It is almost impossible for the division to attack."

After listening to Sokov's answer, Koyda couldn't help being stunned. He thought to himself: Since you understand this truth, why do you still make a promise to Klitschko and stick to this already established rule with the guards? Is the line of defense riddled with holes?

Sokov saw his question, and said with a smile: "Comrade Colonel, you must be very surprised. Since you know that you can't hold the position, why did you agree to General Klitschko to stay and stand with the Guards Division?" position?"

   "Yes, Comrade Commander." Koida nodded and said, "I really don't quite understand your intentions. After all, doing so may lead to the annihilation of our entire army."

"If we immediately retreat to the Pushol River and join the troops there, we can indeed build a solid defense to block the German offensive." Seeing that Koida was still at a loss, Sokov explained to him : "But if we retreat, then General Marankin's Guards Division will become a lone army and will soon fall into the encirclement of the Germans. Once they are surrounded by the enemy, the enemy can move forward unscrupulously, They can use part of their forces to monitor us in the direction of the Pusol River, and then throw the main force on Prokhorovka. Now there is only one 9th Guards Paratrooper Division in the city. They have no central weapon to prevent the enemy from capturing In cities, it’s basically impossible.”

Seeing that Sokov chose to stick to his position, and knowing the situation in the rear so well, Koyda must have already thought of countermeasures, so he tentatively asked: "Comrade commander, do you have any plans to deal with the Germans?" attack?"

"I'll call Chief of Staff Sameko later and ask him to draw two regiments from the right bank and rush over overnight to strengthen your defense." Sokov ate him to reassure Koida. A reassurance: "Now the main force of our army is gathering towards the Prokhorovka area. As soon as they arrive, the situation on the battlefield will become favorable to our army."

If other commanders had said this to Koida, he might still have doubts: At the beginning, Kyiv had hundreds of thousands of troops, but they were encircled and wiped out by the Germans; Wan's troops were defeated by Manstein's inferior forces.

  But since the words were spoken by Sokov, who has made many achievements, the weight is naturally different. Koyda raised his head, straightened his back and asked, "Comrade Commander, how long do you think we need to hold on?"

   "I think it will take up to 48 hours." Sokov knew very well in his heart that the main force of the 5th Guards Tank Army would arrive at the battlefield one after another at noon tomorrow and contained the German offensive. But in order not to let Koida relax because of this, he estimated that the arrival time was 48 hours: "How about it, can you hold the position?"

"Based on the current strength alone, it may be difficult to hold the position." Koyda originally thought that Sokov would order his troops to stand firm for ten days and half a month. Now that he heard that he only needed to hold firm for 48 hours, he quickly replied: "However, if we can send two regiments over, then we will be more confident in holding the position. If we are asked to hold for ten days and a half months, I may not be able to do it, but if we only hold on for 48 hours, we will be able to Hit to the last person, and guarantee to complete the task."

  After receiving the guarantee from Koida, Sokov called Sameko and asked straight to the point: "Comrade Chief of Staff, how is the situation there? Have you found any traces of the enemy?"

   "No, Comrade Commander. It's quiet here, and no Germans have been seen." Sameko replied: "But all the troops are ready for battle and can go into battle at any time."

"I believe that you will be able to hold the position." Sokov said: "But I encountered a little trouble here. Under the onslaught of the Germans, the friendly army on the right wing was defeated by the enemy. Now we are caught in the enemy's two-sided attack. Coupled with the serious reduction in the number of troops in the early battles, it has become very difficult to hold the position."

  Hearing this, Sameko immediately took the initiative to say: "Comrade Commander, do you need me to transfer troops to you from the Pushol River defense line?"

"That's exactly what I mean." Sokov said, "You draw two regiments from the 182nd Division on the right bank, and as soon as it gets dark, rush over to support them." He knew very well that although the right bank troops fought with the enemy The probability is not high, but if the enemy really breaks through the left bank position and forcibly crosses the Pu Shore River, then the right bank position is too small to defend. So he finally told Sameko: "Chief of Staff, I think the possibility of fighting in the Oboyan area is not very high. You should immediately call General Konev and ask him if it is possible to deploy our troops there. Transferred to the Pushol for defense."

"Comrade Commander, you are very thoughtful." Sameko echoed: "Regardless of whether there will be new battles in Oboyan, we must transfer the troops deployed there. The troops are too scattered, which is not conducive to Our command."

  The reason why Sokov wanted to concentrate his troops was due to two considerations. One is that with enough troops, they can advance, attack, retreat, or defend, and can flexibly grasp the initiative on the battlefield. The second point is that the defeat of the German army is imminent. If you don't have enough soldiers, you will not be able to participate in the big counterattack. All along, it is the units that attack the enemy that are actively remembered, not those that defend hard. He didn't want his troops to be wiped out and not get the honor he deserved.

"Chief of Staff, regardless of whether the superior agrees with our suggestion, the troops deployed in the direction of Oboyan must be transferred overnight." Sokov stared at Sameko and said, "While you are sending a telegram to the Front Army Command, you are ordering the troops to do the same." Ready to transfer."

  But what happened next was not as bad as Sokov imagined. Konev learned that Sokov's troops in the Prokhorovka area had suffered heavy losses, and he simply agreed to the transfer of troops. Considering that the distance from Oboyan to the Pushol River is not close, Konev even ordered Sameko: "You don't have to wait until dark, as soon as the troops in the direction of Oboyan are assembled, they will immediately move to the Pushol River, and must consolidate The defense line there prevents the enemy from crossing the river." Before Sameko could speak, he added, "Don't worry, I will send a plane to cover your actions."

Seeing that Konev was so reasonable, the stone hanging in Sameko's heart finally fell to the ground. He hurriedly informed Khokhlov, the commander of the 182nd Division: "Comrade Colonel, the situation at the commander's place is very bad. You should immediately transfer the troops of the two regiments." As soon as it gets dark, we will immediately rush to the Prokhorovka area and join the 188th Division to consolidate the defense there and block the German attack."

"Don't worry, Comrade Chief of Staff." After receiving Sameko's call, Colonel Khokhlov quickly stated: "My troops are ready to go, and we can start immediately just waiting for a word from you. "

  (end of this chapter)