After dark, the battle outside Prokholovka City was still going on.
The situation on the battlefield was not as rumored that the German army had already invaded the city of Prokholovka. In fact, after occupying the 252.2 highland, the troops of the flag guard division could no longer advance. The commanders and fighters of the 9th Division of the Guard Paratroopers who were defending the city continued to carry out counterattacks on the enemy, making it impossible for them to expand their results.
The October Farm, occupied by the Skeleton Division on the north side of the highland, was also counterattacked by tank-strengthening troops. If Simon had not sent a reserve team in time, it would have been expected that the German army would have been driven out of the farm by the Soviet army.
At around two o'clock in the morning, it suddenly started to rain heavily in the sky. In the heavy rain, the officers and soldiers on both sides were beaten by the rain and could not open their eyes. After a day of battle, they could barely get taller.
Zhukov stood in front of the Voronezh Front’s command window, looking at the heavy rain falling like a waterfall through the window glass, and said worriedly: “If the rain is still falling by dawn, then our attack will be affected.”
"Comrade Marshal," the rain sounded too loud. Vatujing, who was standing beside him, had to raise his voice and said to him: "If it kept raining, then our air force would not be able to take off after dawn. At that time, our ground attacking troops would have to rely on the support of artillery fire to launch a counterattack against the enemy."
"Comrade Marshal," after Vatuting finished speaking, Vasilevsky continued: "If heavy rain continues, the road will become muddy, and Rotmistrov's tank troops will not be able to be deployed. Do you see, do you report to the Supreme Command and request to postpone the attack?"
"No." Zhukov refused Huasilevsky's proposal without hesitation: "We must drive the Germans away from here when they have not yet established a foothold. If the attack time is delayed because of the rain, and when they have gained a foothold here, this battle may become a protracted positional battle."
"But, comrade Marshal, look at how heavy the rain is outside." Huaseylevsky said with a wry smile: "If we don't stop, let alone the air force cannot be dispatched, even our tanks will be unable to advance because the road becomes muddy. At that time, we will have to attack with infantry."
…………
Just as Zhukov and others were worried about the weather, German Marshal Manstein was also unable to fall asleep due to heavy rain. He stood at the door of the command cabin, looking at the heavy rain outside, sighing in his heart. He knew very well that such heavy rain would definitely make many areas unpassable. The plan to seize Prokhorovka City after dawn may have to be postponed.
"His Excellency Marshal," said Adjutant Colonel Burke, who appeared behind Manstein and said cautiously: "I just received a report from the reconnaissance force."
Manstein closed the hatch door, separated the sound of rain outside, and asked casually: "Is it valuable information?"
"Yes, Your Excellency Marshal, is very valuable intelligence." Colonel Burke replied cautiously: "According to the report of the reconnaissance team, the Russians gathered a large number of troops near Prokhorovka, and prepared to launch a comprehensive counterattack against our army at 10 a.m.."
When Manstein learned that the Soviet army would launch a counterattack at 10 a.m., he was stunned and asked, "Would he be the command of these assembled troops?"
"I figured it out." Burke nodded and replied, "It's General Rotmistrov's tank army."
"Rotmistrov's troops?" Manstein couldn't help but frown. He looked at the map on the table and said thoughtfully: "Isn't his troops east of Moscow? Why did he arrive outside Prokhorovka so quickly?"
"Marson, I think the Russians couldn't stand it anymore, so they hurriedly transferred this army to reinforce." Burke said: "Now the Russians' military strength in Prokhorovka has far exceeded ours. They are indeed capable of counterattacking us. It seems that we must prepare early."
"Rotmistlov commanded the Guards Tank Army, which means that their combat effectiveness is stronger than ordinary Russian troops. We must take corresponding measures." After saying this, Manstein ordered Burke to say, "You immediately send a telegram to the Flag Guard Division and the Skeleton Division, and let them repair fortifications overnight to prevent the possible counterattacks by the Russians."
As soon as Manstein finished speaking, the hatch door was opened from outside, and the chief of staff wearing a raincoat walked in from the door. While taking off his raincoat, he said to Manstein: "Marson Marshal, the rain outside is too heavy, and it may have an adverse impact on our attack after dawn."
"Chief of Staff, you are here just in time." Manstein called the Chief of Staff to come to him and handed him the telegram in his hand: "This is a telegram sent back by the reconnaissance force. The Russians will launch a full-scale counterattack against our army at 10 o'clock this morning."
After reading the telegram in Manstein's hand, the Chief of Staff was shocked: "What, the Russians assembled an army near Prokhorovka City, or a group of guards tanks." He scratched the back of his head and said with a serious expression, "Our troops have no fortifications to rely on. If the Russians launch an attack, I think our defense line may be quickly broken."
"I think so too." Manstein nodded and continued, "So I just sent a telegram to the frontline troops, asking them to repair fortifications overnight. As long as there are fortifications, it will be much easier to block the Russians' attack. In addition, didn't the Russians launch an attack at 10 o'clock in the morning? We can launch an attack half an hour in advance to completely disrupt their offensive steps."
"Marson, your plan is good." The Chief of Staff was originally worried about the upcoming attack by the Soviet army, but when he heard that Manstein had made a decision, he felt relieved. He said flatteringly: "I still remember that after becoming the conquerors of Sevastopol, you once went to Petersburg, which is Leningrad, the Russian population. At that time, you keenly realized that the Russians were about to launch an attack, so you decisively ordered our troops to launch an attack three days in advance, completely disrupting the deployment of the Russians, causing their attempt to break the siege and to be completely crushed by you."
The chief of staff's flattery made Manstein feel complacent. He even thought that if he hadn't realized in time that the Russians would launch a counterattack and ordered the troops to launch an attack in advance, perhaps the Russians would have opened a gap in the encirclement that besieged Petersburg at that time. Today, similar things would have to be repeated outside the city of Prokorovka. He ordered the troops to attack in advance. While disrupting the Russians' offensive steps, he might have been able to successfully break through their defense.
Thinking of this, he smiled at the Chief of Staff, and then ordered the other party: "Chief of Staff, then you immediately draft an offensive order, and be sure to communicate to the various troops before 6 o'clock tomorrow morning."
…………
At 3:30 a.m., the rain outside began to weaken.
The commander of the 5th Army of Guard Tank was full of commanders carrying generals on their shoulders. Their eyes were all on General Rotmistrov, the commander of the army, waiting for the order he was about to issue.
"Comrades," Rotmistrov said in a slightly hoarse voice: "The superior ordered us to leave at four o'clock in the morning to the offensive starting position. Now there are only thirty minutes left before the departure time, but the rain outside still shows no sign of stopping. I want to ask you, what do you think in your heart?"
"Comrade Commander," the first speaker was Deputy Commander General Trofanov. He looked at Rotmistrov and said, "Since the superiors ordered us to set off at four o'clock, then it was raining outside, even if the enemy's bombs fell from the air, we must set off on time."
Trufanov's words immediately aroused the response of some division-level commanders: "Comrade Deputy Commander is right. Since the superior has issued clear instructions, we cannot violate the superior's orders just because it rains."
"I think it's better to set off on time."
However, Major General Baharov, the commander of the 18th Tank Army, raised an objection: "I do not agree with the speeches of the Deputy Commander and the commanders just now. You must know that such heavy rainstorms, such as making the road muddy, how can our tank troops be deployed?"
Seeing that Major General Baharov's idea coincided with him, Rotmistrov nodded and said, "General Baharov's words make sense. If heavy rain causes the road to become muddy, our tanks will not be suitable for participating in the upcoming battle. Therefore, tanks trapped in the mud will be destroyed one by one by one by the German anti-tank artillery fire."
Seeing Rotmistrov's objection to his opinion, Trufanov couldn't help but turn red, and then asked awkwardly: "Comrade Commander, what do you think we should do? Do you really need to postpone the attack?"
"Comrade Deputy Commander," Rotmstrov looked at Trofanov with a serious expression: "To be honest, we rushed hundreds of kilometers to the outside of Prokorovka just to make a spoiler of the German attack on the city. If we cannot launch an attack on time, I will be more anxious than any of you."
He paused for a moment and continued, "But I can't just ignore the actual situation and rashly put the troops into an attack with no chance of victory because of anxiety. Therefore, I think I should be cautious in this matter, so I should wait. If it is four o'clock and the rain outside has not stopped, I will call General Vatujing and ask him to postpone the attack time."
Trufanov thought about Rotmistrov's statement for a moment and thought it was still very reasonable. If the rain continued, not only would the original air support be gone, but it would be difficult for the tank troops to enter the battle. Only infantry could participate in the counterattack. With his understanding of the combat effectiveness of the troops, it would be basically an unsuccessful task to defeat the elite German SS in front of him.
With five minutes left before four o'clock, a staff officer who was observing the weather outside hurriedly ran into the door and excitedly reported to Rotmistrov: "Comrade Commander, the rain outside has stopped."
"The rain outside has stopped?" Rotmistrov was overjoyed when he learned that the rain outside had stopped. He looked at the staff officer who was still dripping with water in front of him, and asked cautiously: "Comrade Staff, are you really sure that the rain outside has stopped?"
"It's totally certain, Comrade Commander." The staff officer replied firmly: "I made repeated confirmations outside and came in to report to you."
"Comrades," confirming that the rain outside had stopped, Rotmistrov turned around and said to the many commanders in the room: "Since the rain has stopped, you all go back to your respective troops and follow the original plan to set off to the designated attack position."
After a loud reply, the commanders left the command center one after another.
When the hour hand pointed at four o'clock, the high-frequency telephone on the table in front of Rotemistrov rang. He quickly picked up the microphone and put it in his ear. Vatutin's voice came from inside: "General Rotemistrov, the rain outside has stopped!"
"Yes, comrade General, I know that the rain outside has stopped." Rotmistrov knew the destination of Vatutin calling and quickly reported to him: "My troops have set off to the designated attack position on time."
After Vatutin got the answer he wanted, he showed a gratified smile on his face: "Very good, General Rotemistrov, I believe your troops will definitely achieve good results in today's battle. By the way, have you adjusted your deployment?"
"Based on the intelligence obtained by the reconnaissance, I made some adjustments to the deployment of the right wing." Rotmistrov did not wait for Vatutin to inquire, and took the initiative to say: "The right wing is Major General Baharov's 18th Tank Army, which are divided into two echelons. The first echelon includes the 170th and 181st Tank Brigade, the second echelon is the 32nd Motorized Infantry Brigade and the 36th Guard Tank Regiment, the reserve team is the 110th Tank Brigade, and it is also equipped with the 1549th Self-propelled Artillery Regiment. They will attack the enemy along a deep valley two kilometers north of October Farm."
Vatuting knew that after the October Farm was occupied by the German army during the day, Rotmistrov's troops had launched counterattacks many times, but none of them had succeeded. Now the attacking troops bypassed the October Farm, which was fortified by the German army, might even be able to beat the enemy by surprise. So he nodded and smiled and said, "October Farm is a difficult bone. As long as you bypass it and attack from the enemy's side, the enemy's defense line will collapse quickly."
At 6:30 in the morning, as the rain had completely stopped, Soviet air force fighters took off one after another and bombed the area stationed in the German army.
Just as many German positions were bombed into a sea of ​​fire, Zhukov put a message that had just been intercepted. The content above was very simple. Manstein ordered the Flag Guard Division and the Skeleton Division to attack the Soviet positions at 9:30 in the morning to disrupt the Soviet army's offensive plan.
After reading the telegram, Huasilevsky sneered and said to Zhukov: "Comrade Marshal, at the end of last year, when Manstein visited Leningrad, he realized that our army had the intention to break through, so he ordered his troops to launch an attack three days in advance, completely disrupting our offensive steps and ending in failure. It seems that Manstein has used the same trick again and is ready to disrupt our offensive plan again."
Chapter completed!