The infantry brigade that was put into the battlefield became the last straw that broke the camel's back. The German defense line, which was originally struggling to support the attack on both sides, collapsed.
The defense line was broken through, and the Soviet troops from both north and south were formed, and the officers and soldiers of the Imperial Division were immediately beaten to pieces. The troops that had lost their establishment were completely lost in combat. The sporadic resistance they organized was soon destroyed under the attack of the Soviet army.
At this last moment, the gap between the SS and the National Defense Forces emerged. Those areas controlled by the fanatical and stubborn NC elements still carried out their final resistance. Facing the Soviet commanders and fighters who rushed over, they desperately pulled the trigger until the last bullet was fired and fought to the last person.
The situation in the area defended by the National Defense Forces was another matter. Seeing that it was meaningless to resist, the officer took the initiative to order the soldiers to stop shooting, fired white flags on the positions, and surrendered to the Soviet army that rushed up.
The two completely different performances of the German army made the Soviet commanders and fighters confused. They thought they had to go through bloody battles to seize the position, but as soon as the troops rushed up, the enemy on the position shot out a white flag and surrendered. However, some positions that were obviously meaningless, when the commanders and fighters rushed over, they encountered tenacious resistance.
After discovering this situation, Colonel Chuwashov immediately reported to Sokov through the newly set up telephone line: "Comrade Commander, we encountered a very strange situation in the attack."
"What's the situation?" Sokov asked in confusion: "What's the situation?"
Colonel Chuwashov introduced the confusion encountered by the troops to Sokov in detail, and said, "Because the enemy's reaction was too abnormal, we don't know whether we should accept the enemy's surrender."
After listening to Chuwashov's report, Sokov quickly figured out the problem and said to the microphone: "Comrade Colonel, I know what's going on. After the Imperial Army was annihilated by me last time, it was re-established because the SS was not enough and a large number of defense forces were drawn to fill it. I estimate that those troops that voluntarily surrendered should belong to the defense force; and the enemies who resisted to the end should be fanatical NC elements."
"What should we do?" asked Colonel Chuwashov.
"Treat differently." Sokov knew very well that if he ordered the troops to eliminate all enemies indiscriminately, he would let the SS and the Defense Forces join forces to fight stubbornly. The best way now is to divide and disintegrate them to achieve the goal of resolving the battle in the shortest time. "You can order political workers to shout to the enemy. As long as the officers and soldiers of the Defense Forces put down their weapons and surrender, we will definitely treat the prisoners preferentially and give them the prisoners they deserve."
Seeing that Sokov only mentioned the National Defense Forces, but not the SS, Colonel Chuwashov asked tentatively: "Comrade Commander, I want to ask, how should we treat the SS?"
"Are the SS still human?" Sokov said viciously, biting his back teeth, "They are two-legged beasts. Think about how many heinous crimes they have put down in our country. Even if they kill them ten or twenty times, they will be considered cheap. Therefore, the order I give you is to resolutely and completely eliminate every SS officer and soldier. Do you understand?"
"I understand, Comrade Commander." After understanding Sokov's intentions, Colonel Chuwashov quickly replied loudly: "I will immediately pass your order to the brigades."
After putting down the phone, Chuwashov immediately said to the communications officer standing aside: "Send people to notify the friendly forces immediately. According to the command of the commander, we can accept the surrender of the National Defense Forces, but the captured SS will be executed on the spot, and we will definitely not accept their surrender."
So, the commands were sent to the attacking troops through the telephone line. As a result, the situation on the battlefield changed greatly. After the commanders and soldiers discovered the enemy's traces, they did not immediately launch an attack, but instead asked the German-speaking soldiers to shout at the other party: "Brothers of the National Defense Forces, our commander has an order to accept your surrender. As long as you put down your weapons and surrender, you will be able to enjoy the treatment you deserve."
Originally, when the commanders and soldiers received such an order, they felt quite strange. It was already difficult for the enemy to organize institutional resistance. It was only a matter of time before they could destroy them. Is it necessary to do so much?
There was a defensive zone in the front of the attack direction of the 84th Brigade and the 384th Division, which contained about 200 German officers and soldiers. The Soviet army launched two attacks here, but no progress was made. The commander who led the team remembered the orders conveyed by Colonel Chuwashov, so he found two German-speaking soldiers and shouted at the other party with simple horns.
The German officers and soldiers on the position stopped shooting after hearing the Soviet army's calls. After a while, a bad Russian suddenly came from the position: "Who is your commander?"
After hearing each other's questions clearly, the soldiers immediately replied: "Sokov, Major General Sokov."
After listening to the soldiers' answers, a chaotic voice came from the position, and then a soldier holding a white flag walked out of the trench. He walked slowly towards the position where the Soviet army was, shouting loudly as he walked: "Don't shoot, I'm here to negotiate."
Soon, the German soldier was taken to Chuwashov.
Chuwashov looked at the German soldier in front of him and asked expressionlessly: "Which private, is it from?"
"I am from the 5th Company of the 3rd Battalion of the 4th Grenadier Regiment of the Imperial Division," the German soldiers stopped and replied, "The company I am in is holding on to the position you besieged."
"How many people are left in you?"
"More than 130 people, plus the troops that were trapped in the scattered forces, the total force on the entire position now exceeds two hundred."
After hearing the German soldiers' answers, Chuwashov thought to himself: If he wants to eliminate so many enemies, he may have to pay a greater price. If they are willing to surrender, they will be able to minimize the casualties of the troops.
Thinking of this, he asked the German soldier: "What are you doing here?"
"Our captain heard that General Sokov allowed the Wehrmacht to surrender, so he sent me to negotiate with you. I would like to know if what you said can be fulfilled."
"What's the matter?"
"It is to give us prisoners of war the treatment we deserve."
"It's totally OK." As long as the casualties of the troops were reduced, Chuwashov was willing to pay any price, not to mention that he just allowed some prisoners of war to enjoy the treatment they deserved. He said readily: "Not only can your personal safety be guaranteed, but you will also receive food and water, and the injured can also receive the treatment we provide."
After receiving Chuwashov's promise, the German soldiers went back to report to their company commander. The other party immediately ordered the white flag to be fired without hesitation, and everyone surrendered to the Soviet army under the hillside.
Hundreds of meters away from this position, there was a position controlled by a platoon of the SS. After a night of battle, their ammunition had been almost exhausted. If the Soviet army attacked them, they would have to fight with a butt and a dagger.
But fortunately, the Soviet army stopped advancing seventy or eighty meters away from their positions and began to shout. After hearing for a while, the soldiers found that the contents of the Soviet army shouting were all persuading the officers and soldiers of the National Defense Forces to surrender, and they did not mention a word to their SS. They inevitably started to discuss. Since the fight continued, there was no meaning to no one. Why not put down the weapons and surrender.
Just as the SS officers and soldiers were judging their heads on the position, the shouting soldiers discovered it. When he saw the lightning sign on the other party's head seal, he stopped shouting, turned around and shouted to the commander behind him: "Comrade Captain, the Germans in the front position are the SS. I saw the lightning sign on the head seal."
When he learned that the defenders in the front positions were SS, the commander led the team was not interested in asking for helping surrender. Anyway, Sokov's order was made very clear. As long as it was SS, it would be wiped out in one place without leaving any land. He stood up and shouted at the soldiers lying on the ground on the left and right, "Brothers, the SS are all in the front positions. Follow me and kill all of them without leaving any land!"
After seeing the Soviet army stop shouting, they rushed towards the position with guns. The SS officers and soldiers in the position were immediately in chaos. The officers and officers shouted at their subordinates who were running around like headless flies: "Shoot, shoot quickly, and you must not let the Russians rush into our position."
A soldier who had long since fired all over the bullets ignored the officer's shouts. He threw the gun in his hand into the trench, climbed out of the trench with his hands and feet, and fled to the distance without looking back. One of the leaders immediately had countless followers who saw his companions throwing their guns and running away. The rest of the soldiers without bullets were not to be outdone. They also threw away their weapons and climbed out of the trench like their companions to escape.
Even if there were no officers and soldiers who escaped from the position, they did not have much ammunition and could not stop the Soviet commanders and soldiers who were coming like a tide. Before they could fire two shots, they were shot to death by the Soviet soldiers who rushed to the trenches. The Soviet soldiers who crossed the trenches aimed at the enemies fleeing far away, and used a point shot to knock the enemies to the ground one by one.
The same battles happen everywhere.
Since the main force of the SS was basically exhausted after a night of battle, most of the remaining ones were the National Defense Forces. With the persuasion of the Soviet army, more and more National Defense Forces laid down their weapons and surrendered to the Soviet army.
At 7:40, gunfire sounds on the battlefield became sparse. Chuwashov called Sokov to announce the good news: "Comrade Commander, the battle is coming to an end. According to incomplete statistics, we have captured more than 1,700 German officers and soldiers in total."
"Good job, Colonel Chuwashov." Sokov said with praise after he waited for the other party, "When the battle is over, you will receive a medal."
Sokov knew that Zhukov had been concerned about the battle here. Now that the dust was settled, he could call him to report: "Comrade Marshal, I am Sokov. After a night of battle, the battle to encircle and annihilate the Imperial Division has basically ended, and more than 1,700 enemies were captured..."
"Why are there still prisoners?" Zhukov couldn't help but frown when he heard this, "Didn't we shoot the captured SS all the time?"
"Comrade Marshal, you misunderstood." Sokov quickly explained: "It was not the SS who were captured, but the National Defense Forces. After the Imperial Army was surrounded and annihilated by us last time, the enemy did not have enough SS during the reconstruction, so they drew a large number of National Defense Forces to fill it. The officers and soldiers who were captured now are all affiliated with the National Defense Forces."
"What are you going to do next?" Zhukov asked, "Are you going to transfer all the troops?"
"Comrade Marshal, this is how I think about it." Sokov replied: "In order to encircle and annihilate the Imperial Division, I used an infantry division and three brigades. Now that the combat objectives have been achieved, I plan to deploy them all here."
"What about the remaining troops?" Zhukov continued, "Let them stay where they are?"
"Yes, comrade Marshal, I plan to keep them in the Shumakovo area." Sokov explained to Zhukov: "Once the enemy finds that an effective breakthrough cannot be achieved from the direction of Oboyan, they will adjust the direction of the attack and detour from the Prokorovka area... As long as my main force is deployed in the Shumakovo, even if the enemy implements a breakthrough in the Prokorovka area, we will have enough troops to block them."
"Do you think our troops deployed in Prokholovka cannot resist the enemy's attack?" After hearing Sokov's words, Zhukov said with some dissatisfaction: "Do you know that your statement is very affecting unity."
Hearing Zhukov's criticism of himself, Sokov immediately realized that he had been hasty. He knew that the focus of the Kursk Battle was Prokholovka, but Zhukov didn't know that he believed that the troops that stood there could block the enemy's attack. Therefore, his statement was somewhat taboo.
Fortunately, Zhukov did not care about him, but said to him: "After you have deployed your defense mission, hurry back to Shumakovo immediately. You can't let me, the representative of the base camp, act as your chief of staff for a long time."
"Comrade Marshal," Sokov couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief when he saw that Zhukov would not pursue the matter. He quickly replied: "After I set up the defense here, I will immediately return to the command center."
Half an hour later, Sokov met the commanders of the four participating troops. Looking at Major General Grizenko with a shameful face, Sokov asked with some displeasure: "Comrade General, I want to figure out one thing. If I did not send Colonel Chuwashov's troops to support you, can you break through the enemy's defense?"
Chapter completed!