While fierce battles are taking place in the Boneri sector, the fighting in the Olikhovatka direction does not stop. German infantry, under the cover of air force, artillery and tanks, launched one attack after another on the defensive positions here.

The units of the 13th Army, reinforced by the 17th Guards Infantry Army and the 2nd Tank Army, fought hard and remarkably to resist the ferocious German onslaught.

On the evening of the 7th, when the battle to the north of the Kursk arc was going on, Malinin reported to Rokossovsky: "Comrade commander, in order to hold back the ferocious attack of the Germans, the Front has thrown almost all its reserves into battle, and the Germans, in order to break through the defenses of our troops, are still vigorously increasing their vital forces in the direction of their main assault. According to the analysis of the situation at our disposal, the Germans will devote all the forces at their disposal to the battle, even at the expense of weakening the troops in the secondary areas of the front, in order to strengthen their main offensive direction. How do we keep the enemy at bay? ”

Rokossovsky stared at the map in front of him and did not speak for a long time, and he was surprised to find that the forces in his hands were running dry. If the fighting is to continue, it is necessary to devote more combat units in the direction of the main attack of the German army. But where will the new forces come from? He has just agreed to the base camp to transfer the Steppe Front to the south of Kursk, and if he repents so quickly, he will definitely displease the Supreme Commander himself.

Seeing that Rokossovsky did not speak for a long time, Malinin couldn't help but be a little anxious: "Comrade commander, the German attack on Boneri is constantly intensifying, and if our troops do not get reinforcements, then the city is in danger of being occupied by the Germans. Please make up your mind quickly. ”

Deputy Commander Trubnikov said carefully: "Comrade commander, at the moment there are no large-scale battles in the defensive zone of the 60th and 65th armies, should we transfer troops from them to strengthen the Boneri direction?" ”

As soon as he finished speaking, Rokossovsky shook his head and rejected his proposal: "No, Comrade Deputy Commander, this will definitely not work. We have already transferred one division from the 60th Army and two tank regiments from the 65th Army in the early stage, which has already weakened their combat effectiveness. If any more troops were to be transferred from them, they would be weakened in the areas of their defenses, and once the Germans launched an attack there, they could easily break through our defenses. ”

Orel, who was standing next to him and did not speak, tilted his head and looked at the map for a while, and then put forward his opinion: "Comrade commander, at present, General Bogdanov's Ninth Tank Army does not have any combat missions, you see if they are transferred to the Boneri area and strengthen the defense there." ”

"No way!"

"No way!"

As soon as Oryol put forward his proposal, it was opposed by both Trubnikov and Malinin. Trubnikov also said with a serious attitude: "Comrade Chief of the Armored Forces, at the moment this corps is stationed in the Kursk region and is tasked with covering the city from the south. As long as they are transferred, it will be empty, and as soon as the Germans make a breakthrough there, we will be in a situation where we will be in a situation where we will be exposed to the enemy. ”

When several major leaders of the command had a heated discussion, Rokossovsky did not speak, but asked Terekin for a cigarette, lit it and put it in his mouth, and walked back and forth in the room, repeatedly weighing the pros and cons of mobilizing this force and the possible consequences in his mind.

When he finished a cigarette, he also made a final decision. He walked back to the table and said to the men gathered here: "Comrade commander, I have decided to immediately transfer Bogdanov's Ninth Tank Army to Boneri, to strengthen the defense in that direction. ”

Some people are happy and some are sad about Rokossovsky's decision. Orel was the first to propose this plan, and when he heard that Rokossovsky had adopted his opinion, he couldn't help but smile knowingly. And Malinin said with a sad face: "Comrade commander, if the 9th Tank Army is transferred, then the south of the city of Kursk will become empty, and the Germans may break through from that direction at any time." ”

"I understand, Comrade Chief of Staff, I understand what you have to say." Rokossovsky raised his hand to interrupt what Malinin was about to say, and explained to him: "Although the southern side of our army may be attacked by the Germans at any time, Vatutin's troops have just been replenished by the 27th Army, and now a reserve front is heading towards their defensive area, and I believe that no matter how powerful Manstein is, it is impossible for him to break through the line formed by our two fronts." ”

As soon as Rokossovsky finished speaking, Malinin went to arrange the movement of the 9th Tank Army, and he told Bogdanov that as soon as it was dark, the tank units would immediately move towards the Boneri area.

At the beginning of the transfer of the tank units, Zhukov, who had returned to the command of the Bryansk Front, called Rokossovsky and asked straight to the point: "Comrade Rokossovsky, how is your situation there?" ”

"Not very well, Comrade Marshal." Rokossovsky did not hide anything from Zhukov, his old superior, but told the truth: "I have thrown all my reserves into battle, but the German offensive is still fierce, and our commanders and fighters are fighting very hard. ”

"Hold out a few more days, Comrade Rokossovsky." Zhukov comforted him: "It will only take another week or so for the Bryansk Front to strike from the flanks of the German army and relieve your frontal pressure." ”

"Comrade Marshal, I don't know how long I will hold out?" Rokossovsky continued: "I was afraid that my troops would not hold out for a week. ”

Zhukov covered the microphone and asked Admiral Popov next to him: "Comrade Popov, the situation there has become serious for Rokossovsky, when will your troops be able to attack?" ”

Popov muttered to his chief of staff for a while, and replied: "Comrade Marshal, after discussion, we believe that the offensive of the front troops against the German army will be after the 15th of this month at the earliest. ”

"No, it's too late." Zhukov shook his head and said: "Judging from the current situation, Rokossovsky's troops may not be able to hold out for so long. ”

Seeing that Zhukov had rejected his proposal, Popov had no choice but to call the chief of staff, the deputy commander, and the military commissar again, and a group of people began a discussion there. Finally, Popov said to Zhukov: "Comrade Marshal, after discussion, we decided to choose the time of the attack on the Germans on the twelfth. But this is already our limit, and it is impossible to advance any further. ”

Zhukov spent some time in the Bryansk Front, and he still had an idea of how well the troops were prepared, and he agreed with Popov's proposal to launch an offensive on the twelfth. He let go of the hand covering the microphone and said to Rokossovsky: "I have already talked with Admiral Popov, and he feels that his troops can launch a formal offensive on the twelfth. I hope that your troops will hold out and continue to massively deplete the living forces of the German army. ”

Hearing that the troops of the Bryansk Front were going to attack on the 12th, Rokossovsky's heart suddenly felt much more steady, so he replied reasonably: "Don't worry, Comrade Marshal, our troops will be able to hold their positions until the friendly forces attack." ”

……

……

The northern defensive line defended by Rokossovsky was dangerous, but it was not dangerous. Don't look at the strong offensive launched by the German army, but it has become very difficult to break through the Soviet defenses and continue to advance in depth.

The situation here was much more dire for Vatutin, who not only commanded his troops to fight the Germans head-on against Oboyan, but also organized his troops to launch constant counter-assaults on both flanks. Although these counter-assaults ended in failure after paying a huge price, they succeeded in disrupting the German offensive deployment.

In Stalin's eyes, Vatutin was a very good senior commander, second only to Rokossovsky in competence among several front commanders. But Stalin never dreamed that Vatutin, whom he valued, would have performed poorly in the Battle of Kursk, and that there were frequent errors in judgment, and that it would have been difficult to say what the Battle of Kursk would have ended if it had not been for the help of the neglected Konev.

As soon as Vasilevsky returned to the headquarters of the Voronezh Front, Vatutin pleaded with him: "Comrade Marshal, our troops have become very tired after three days of fighting. And the situation with the Germans is about the same, their soldiers are massively depleted in battle, their offensive against us is already getting weaker and weaker, please allow the base camp to transfer the troops of the steppe front to me, I am confident that in a short time the Manstein offensive will be crushed. ”

After Vasilevsky finished speaking, he immediately comforted him and said: "Don't worry, Comrade Vatutin. The situation is developing in favor of our army. Comrade Stalin has agreed to transfer General Konev's steppe front to the south of the Kursk arc and to defend with you. Wait until the Germans are exhausted, and then launch a full-scale offensive. ”

Hearing that Konev's troops were only transferred to the south of Kursk to cooperate in the battle, but assigned to fight for himself, Vatutin's face showed a disappointed expression, and he said with some displeasure: "In such a small area, will it be too crowded to put two fronts on the ground at the same time?" Also, how to solve the coordination between the two front armies? ”

Vasilevsky did not notice the strangeness of Vatutin, and said to himself: "Comrade Stalin's intention is to concentrate superior forces in the south of Kursk, crush Manstein's heavy army group, and when the conditions are ripe, recover Belgorod and Kharkov, which are occupied by the Germans." ”

While the two were talking, the chief of staff, Ivanov, came over and handed a telegram to Vatutin, and at the same time said with a serious expression: "Comrade commander, this is the information we have just received that the 2nd SS Panzer Army turned to Prokhorovka in the northeast. ”

After reading the telegram, Vatutin frowned and said: "What the hell do the Germans want to do when they transfer the Panzer Corps to Prokhorovka?" ”

"Comrade Vatutin, haven't you understood this?" Vasilevsky pointed to the map between the two and explained to Vatutin: "The Germans must have felt that it was impossible to break through our Oboyan line from the front, so they adjusted the direction of the attack in time and prepared to break through from the left flank of our army. ”

"Comrade Chief of Staff," Vatutin asked Ivanov, turning his head, "how many troops do we have in the Prokhorovka area, and will they be able to hold off the assault of the German Panzer Corps?" ”

"Comrade commander, the situation is much worse than you think." Ivanov said with a blank face: "As for our tank brigade, an infantry division, two cavalry regiments and several incomplete infantry brigades in this direction, they lack sufficient heavy weapons, and I think it is impossible to block the surprise attack of the German Panzer Army." We must now prepare for the fall of Prokhorovka. ”

"No," Vatutin immediately frowned when he heard this, shook his head vigorously, and said: "We must not allow the Germans to occupy Prokhorovka, otherwise the entire defense line of our army will be shaken, and we must find a way to block them." ”

"But we don't have the strength to go in that direction." Ivanov said helplessly.

"Comrade Vatutin, don't worry." Seeing the sad faces of the two of them, Vasilevsky hurriedly spoke: "At present, Konev's troops are heading south, so I will call him and order him to quickly transfer a tank unit to the Prokhorovka area to block the German 2nd SS Panzer Army. ”

Vasilevsky was a resolute man, and after he finished speaking, he picked up the high-frequency phone on the table and asked the operator to help him connect to the headquarters of the steppe front. As soon as the phone rang, he smiled and said to Konev, who answered the phone: "Hello, General Konev, I am Vasilevsky." ”

"Hello, Comrade Chief of the General Staff." Konev, knowing that Vasilevsky was now sitting at the headquarters of the Voronezh Front as a representative of the base camp, hurriedly reported to him: "My troops are moving towards the south of Kursk, and I believe that in two days at most our troops will be able to reach the designated positions." ”

"That's right, General Konev, we have a little urgent matter right now, and we need your help." Vasilevsky was a little embarrassed and said: "The German 2nd SS Panzer Army is rushing towards Prokhorovka, and Vatutin's forces in that area are very weak, and I am afraid that they will not be able to stop the German attack." Do you think you can send an armored force to strengthen the defenses of that area? ”

In response to Vasilevsky's request, Konev was silent for a long time, and finally began to say: "Well, Comrade Chief of the General Staff, I immediately called Lieutenant General Rotmistrov Tank Corps and ordered his Fifth Guards Tank Army to immediately go to the Prokhorovka area and block the advance of the German 2nd SS Panzer Army. ”