Since the appointment of Akhromeyev as deputy chief of staff of the army group, the efficiency of the work seems to have improved all at once. It wasn't long before a map with the latest situation of friend or foe was hung in the tent, giving us a perceptual understanding of the overall situation.

I looked at the map, nodded with satisfaction, and then said to Akhromeyev: "Comrade Deputy Chief of Staff, give us a brief report on the current enemy situation." ”

Akhromeyev walked unhurriedly to the map, took a branch that he had just picked up from outside the tent, turned to the leaders of our army groups, and began to give a brief introduction to the current defensive deployment and armament of our army, as well as the reserves deployed in the areas where the Germans might break through.

He also made a point of emphasizing that our troops had established a perfect defense system by relying on various fortifications built in the early stage, and it was not easy for the German army to break through this defense first. Moreover, in front of our defensive positions, there were so many new anti-tank trenches, which greatly limited the range of surprise attacks of the German armored forces.

Danilov's face showed a look of dissatisfaction with Akhromeyev's explanation. He muttered: "Comrade Deputy Chief of Staff, we know everything you said. What I want to know is how to consolidate the existing defenses so that the Germans can no longer move forward. ”

I saw that Akhromeyev looked a little nervous because of Danilov's words, and hurriedly relieved him of the siege and said: "Comrade Deputy Commander, don't worry, I see that Major Akhromeyev seems to have a lot to say, listen to him continue." Then I glanced at Akhromeyev. Motioned for him to continue.

Akhromeyev smiled appreciatively at me, and then simply pointed out the casualties that the Germans might pay if they broke through our defensive positions. And according to the war report. The forces of both sides were compared. From his account, we clearly know that although the Germans had a lot of total strength, due to the consumption of a large number of living forces in the battle, and the existence of the four divisions of the 51st, 52nd, 67th, and 90th Guards Divisions, they were held back by a considerable number of troops, so that the number of their forces in the main assault direction appeared to be somewhat thin. The pressure on our troops in the second and third lines of defense has been greatly reduced.

Danilov asked unwillingly: "Comrade Deputy Chief of Staff, if we want to carry out a counterattack on the German army." Which location do you think is the right choice? ”

Holding the branch in both hands, Akhromeyev shook his head and replied: "I'm sorry, Comrade Deputy Commander, judging by the battle reports that have been summarized from all sides at the moment. We can't go on the offensive just yet. Because the strength of our army is not enough. There were not enough tanks and artillery, and there was no air supremacy, and if we launched a rash counterattack, we would only lose our elite troops in vain, and then the Germans would be able to easily seize our weak defensive positions. ”

I didn't say anything about what Akhromeyev said, just looked at him and Danilov with a smile and saw what they would say next.

"Then you think we're fighting back. When is the best time to implement? Danilov shrugged his shoulders and said with some dissatisfaction: "We can't always let our commanders and fighters stay in the fortifications. Engage in passive defense. ”

"Comrade Deputy Commander, our commanders and fighters are not engaged in passive defense." Hearing what Danilov said, Kirillov next to him was not happy, and he retorted: "Although they stayed in the trenches during the day to defend stubbornly, it was because the Germans had an advantage in weapons and equipment, and if they left their positions rashly, they would be sent to death in vain." At night, they would voluntarily leave their positions and sneak into the enemy's rear to attack and harass, so that the enemy could not be cleaned, and successfully disrupted their offensive deployment. ”

"But the effect of such an attack is very limited." Danilov was also unconvinced, retorting: "The Germans should attack or attack during the day, and after suffering losses the first night, they will intensify their attack the next day in retaliation for our surprise attack on them." ”

I saw that the two of them were going to argue like this, so I stood up again and played a round. I said to Danilov: "Comrade Deputy Commander, if you were to organize your troops and launch a counterattack against the Germans, where would you choose the direction of the offensive and what kind of troops would you invest?" ”

Danilov thought for a moment and said decisively: "Then do you need to talk about it." Comrade Commander. I will definitely choose the direction of the counterattack in Yakovlevo, where there are ready-made 3 divisions of the 51st, 67th and 90th Guards, plus the 71st and 77th Guards Divisions and the 6th Guards Tank Army that we currently have in our hands. I think there is a good chance of success in striking at the enemy with such a force. ”

I immediately vetoed Danilov's counter-attack, which was of a certain gambling nature: "The deputy commander informs you that you have thought the problem too simply. At present, the most elite 'Hitler Division', 'Reich Division', 'Skeleton Division', 'Viking Division' and 'Großdeutschesg Division' of the German army are concentrated in the Yakovlevo area, and the tanks of their divisions together are more than the tanks of our two tank armies. ”

Seeing that Danilov's face had become ugly, I went on to add: "In the present situation, our troops can only wear down the living forces of the German army by virtue of strong and well-established defensive positions. Only when their men and weapons are severely depleted will we have enough strength to launch a counterattack against them. ”

After waiting for me to finish, Bezikov sighed and said regretfully: "Comrade commander, the main thing is that our defensive zone is too wide, otherwise we would have been able to launch a counterattack against the German army in a local area long ago. ”

"That's right," Danilov unexpectedly expressed support for what Bezikov said: "Although our army group has so many Guards divisions, they can be evenly distributed among the three lines of defense, and the forces that can be used on each line of defense are very limited. ”

"If the higher authorities can send us some more troops, or reduce our existing defensive line, then our troops will be much richer." After expressing his feelings, Bezikov said regretfully: "It's a pity that the forces of the front headquarters have long been allocated. Even if you want to give us reinforcements, you can't do it. ”

Seeing the frustration on Bezikov's face, I smiled and said nothing. Because I vaguely remember that it seems that just these two days Vatutin made a request to Vasilevsky for him to transfer Konev's Fifth Guards Tank Army to the Prokhorovka area. As soon as the new troops arrive, our days will be much better.

As soon as I thought about it, the phone on my desk rang. I picked it up and listened, and Vatutin's voice came out of the earpiece: "Hey, is it Oshanina?" ”

"Yes. Comrade Commander, it's me. Although I didn't know what he was calling at this time, I politely asked, "What are your instructions?" ”

"That's right. Comrade Oshanina. Vatutin said quickly: "According to what we have detected, the Germans may gather superior forces in the near future and launch a powerful offensive against Prokhorovka." Due to the current strength of your army group, it will be difficult to hold the city of Prokhorovka. After the study of the command of the Front. and reported to the Chief of the General Staff, Marshal Vasilevsky, for his consent. It was decided for your unit to hand over the defense of the place to the Fifth Guards Tank Army, which was subordinate to the Steppe Front. ”

"Fifth Guards Tank Army?!" When I heard the name of this unit, I couldn't help but feel a wave of ecstasy, but for the sake of safety, I tentatively asked: "Is it Lieutenant General Rotmistrov's tank troops?" ”

"That's right, it's his troops," Vatutin was surprised that I could call the name of the commander of the unit. He asked curiously, "Have you seen him before?" ”

"No, Comrade General. Never seen it before. Although I had in mind the image of Rotmistrov with his eyes and a mustache, I firmly denied it: "I have only heard of his name, but I have never met him in person." ”

After listening to my explanation, Vatutin did not continue to delve into it, but said to me: "The Fifth Guards Tank Army has under the jurisdiction of the 3rd Guards Tank Army, the 29th Tank Army, the 5th Guards Mechanized Army, the 994th Light Bomber Aviation Regiment, and a number of artillery and other corps and units, which are much stronger than your current troops in Prokhorovka. With the extra troops, you can use them in areas where they are urgently needed. ”

I was overjoyed to hear Vatutin say this, and I was still worried about the limited number of troops in my hand just now, and immediately Vatutin called and asked me to hand over the heavily guarded area to the friendly army, so that I had two more divisions in my hand, and I was much more confident.

As soon as I put down the phone, I immediately announced the good news to everyone. After listening to this, everyone was stunned for a moment, and then collectively cheered. Betzikov said excitedly: "Comrade commander, this is wonderful. I thought we would have to throw at least one or two divisions into the Prokhorovka area to block a possible large-scale German offensive, and I was worried about this. Now that we have strong allies to take over, we can take our forces here and use them in other more important areas. ”

"That's right, Comrade Chief of Staff." I echoed Bezikov's statement: "By handing over the defense zone to friendly forces, we will have at least two more infantry divisions and one tank division, and these units will be a key force in turning the tide of the war, wherever they are used." ”

After turning his head to look at Akhromeyev next to him, Bezikov turned his head to look at me and asked, "Comrade commander, who are you going to put in charge of the transfer of defense?" ”

Bezikov's small gesture was seen by me, and I understood the implication of his question, whether he wanted to know whether he would be responsible for the transfer of defense or leave it to Akhromeyev. I thought about it in my heart for a while, and felt that Bezikov was the chief of staff after all, and he had a greater role in staying in the command, so I called Akhromeyev over and instructed him: "Comrade Major, tomorrow I will hand over the matter of defense to friendly forces, and I will hand over to you full responsibility, you have no problem, right?" ”

"No problem, Comrade Commander." Akhromeyev readily agreed: "I ask you to rest assured that I promise to successfully complete the task you have entrusted to me." ”

Danilov walked up to me and said excitedly: "Comrade commander, since we have two more infantry divisions and one tank division, can we study the question of how to counterattack the Germans?" ”

"Comrade Deputy Commander, you are too anxious." I couldn't help but laugh at the deputy commander who wanted to counterattack the German army at any time, and I said helplessly: "At present, the strength of the German army is still stronger than ours, and it is not yet the time to counterattack, and we need to continue to wait." ”

"Comrade Commander, when do you think the right time is the right time?" Danilov asked nonchalantly.

"Wait a little longer, my comrade deputy commander." His pestering behavior almost drove me crazy, but I still tried to control my emotions: "The first thing we need to do at the moment is to move these two infantry divisions and one tank division to another section and form a battle formation. As for when the time will be the time for a counterattack, I think we will have to wait for a battle between the Fifth Guards Tank Army and the German armored forces. ”

When Danilov heard me say this, he still asked uneasily: "Comrade commander, when do you think friendly forces will be able to start a large-scale battle with the Germans?" ”

"I can't wait, Comrade Deputy Commander." At this time, Kirillov came out to relieve me of the siege and said: "According to my observations, we only need to wait another three to five days before the friendly forces and the main German forces will start a large-scale battle in the Prokhorovka area. As Leda said some time ago, this will be the key to the entire Battle of Kursk. ”

Kirillov's words finally quieted Danilov, and when he ran to the map to check the situation between friend and foe, Kirillov shrugged his shoulders and threw a helpless look at me, as if he was also helpless at Danilov's performance.

Akhromeyev walked up to me, stood up straight and asked: "Comrade commander, I wonder when I will be able to go to Prokhorovka?" ”

I raised my hand and looked at my watch, and then said to him: "Major, you can go now, and when you arrive at the place, first gather the division commanders of the local defenders for a meeting, and explain this to them in advance, so that they can prepare for the movement and transfer." Do you understand? ”

"Understood, Comrade Commander." Akhromeyev agreed, raised his hand to salute me, turned and walked out of the tent. (To be continued.) )