The decisive battle against the Third Reich

Another significance of the 21st Panzer Division's encounter with the Tiger in Malivo was that the Germans had completed the encirclement of the middle zone, and the 2nd SS Panzer Corps had thus escaped the entanglement of the Soviet troops.

This situation shocked Stalin so much that he immediately ordered Zhukov, who was commanding the attack in the direction of Orel, to report to him in Moscow.

But even so, Stalin remained extremely calm... He always gave people the impression of being calm and unhurried, even though he was actually very anxious sometimes.

"Comrade Zhukov!" Stalin asked, "Do you still plan to continue this battle?"

"Yes, Comrade Stalin!" Zhukov replied, "We did suffer heavy losses in Prokhorovka, but I believe the enemy is also not at ease, as can be seen from their inability to launch a counterattack against the 5th Guards Panzer Army!"

"Maybe you are right!" Stalin said, "The German 48th Panzer Corps may indeed be unable to attack, but have you considered the 2nd SS Panzer Corps? Although they were once entangled by our "fire pocket" and could not move forward, because of the investment of new heavy tanks... we have not been able to cause effective damage to them! In other words, the 2nd SS Panzer Corps still has many tanks. "They are even more numerous and stronger than the 48th Armored Army." After a pause, Stalin continued, "More important is their 'tracking rockets'. The Germans probably equipped them to two different troops in order to test the performance of these two new equipment. Facts have also proved that both equipment are very effective... 'Tracking rockets' can easily penetrate the front armor of our tanks from a long distance, and 'elephants' can withstand any attack from our artillery. And now, they are about to be combined into one army! Do you have the confidence to stop them?" Zhukov was speechless. If he said he could stop them, it would definitely be a lie. The heavy casualties of the 5th Guards Tank Army were a clear proof of this. Although they seemed to have found a tactic to suppress the "tracking rockets", Zhukov knew the most about the power of this equipment... The most important thing about it is that it is simple and convenient, and can be equipped in batches and quickly deployed in infantry. As long as the number is large enough, it cannot be suppressed at all. Simply put, the Soviet Union hoped to drown the enemy with a torrent of tanks, while the "tracking rockets" in the hands of the enemy could form a torrent of rockets and a precise torrent of rockets to destroy Soviet tanks one by one.

After thinking about it, Zhukov said: "Comrade Stalin, we order the 5th Guards Tank Army to block the German armored forces in the south, and at the same time we will deploy more troops in the direction of Orel. It will take only a few days to win!"

What Zhukov said actually made sense.

Because the armored forces rely heavily on roads and railways, the reason why the 48th Armored Division was able to fight all the way to Prokhorovka in a few days was largely because the Soviet army did not expect the 48th Armored Army to have such a strong combat power that it could easily defeat the 5th Guards Tank Army that intercepted them.

So no destruction was carried out along the way.

But now, the German 48th Armored Army and the 2nd SS Panzer Army are temporarily blocked in the south of Prokhorovka, so the Soviet 5th Guards Tank Army can retreat while laying mines and breaking roads, just like the German army withdrew from Stalingrad.

In this way, there is actually no need to fight at all, and the marching speed of the German 48th Panzer Corps and the 2nd SS Panzer Corps will definitely be greatly affected.

So the Soviet army can continue its plan to carry out a large-scale encirclement of the German army.

Stalin shook his head slightly and replied: "Comrade Zhukov, since we knew that the Germans had 'tracking rockets', our attack was doomed to fail. Do you understand?"

"Comrade Stalin..."

"This is the information of the 'tracking rocket'!" Stalin said and put a document in front of Zhukov: "We estimate that it weighs only more than 20 kilograms, which means that it can be quickly transported to any place by air, so there will be such 'tracking rockets' everywhere on the high ground, in the grassland, and in the woods, and we hope to use a large number of tanks to cover the infantry to conduct a large-scale penetration of the German logistics..."

Stalin shook his head: "Before our tank troops penetrated to the destination, our tanks had been destroyed or lost by these 'tracking rockets'. Our penetration troops would only be sent up to be surrounded by the Germans, because they would be massacred by the German armored forces when our tank troops were almost completely lost!"

Zhukov couldn't help sweating when he heard this, because he couldn't refute Stalin's deduction.

What Zhukov didn't know was that Stalin's deduction seemed to be fine. The characteristics of ME63 were here. Cheap and convenient rockets could be used to exchange for much more expensive tanks. If ME63 was expanded indefinitely, the side using tanks would eventually collapse because they could not bear the losses.

The problem was that ME63 was not something that anyone could use. As mentioned before, its training was not simple. Without long-term and effective training, it would be difficult to even control the stable flight of ME63 without crashing into the ground, let alone control it to hit the target.

However, neither Stalin nor Zhukov knew this, so they misjudged the so-called "tracking rockets".

"So..." Finally, Stalin concluded: "It is necessary to delay the German armored forces in the south, but not for attack, but for retreat!"

Although Zhukov was 120% reluctant, he still had to stand up and answer: "I obey unconditionally, Comrade Stalin!"

"We cannot let the troops in Kursk suffer the same fate as the middle zone!" Stalin said: "In the middle zone, we are only two divisions plus a tank regiment surrounded. If the Germans occupy Kursk, our entire central zone will be surrounded." The entire army will be trapped in their encirclement. We can no longer bear such losses!"

"Yes, Comrade Stalin!"

After Zhukov left, Stalin took out his pipe and started smoking.

In fact, Stalin had to struggle for a long time before issuing the order just now, because it meant admitting that the war had been lost, and more than that, it was like the whole world announcing that the Soviet Union had failed...if it could not recapture the Baku oil fields, then It means that the Soviet Union is unable to succeed, and it also means that the Soviet Union will fall into absolute passivity strategically.

Now, what Stalin has to consider is how to persuade the United States and Britain to open a second battlefield as soon as possible.