Otto Carius
German tank commander
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Otto Carius (27 May 1922 – 24 January 2015) was a German tank commander in the Wehrmacht during World War II. He fought on the Eastern Front in 1943 and 1944 and on the Western Front in 1945. Carius is considered a "panzer ace", some sources credited him with destroying more than 150 enemy tanks, although Carius, in an interview claims he had around 100 kills or less. This was also due to the fact that he did not count kills as a commander, and rather only as a gunner. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves.
Otto Carius | |
|---|---|
Carius in 1944 | |
| Born | 27 May 1922 |
| Died | 24 January 2015 (aged 92) Herschweiler-Pettersheim, Germany |
| Military career | |
| Allegiance | Nazi Germany |
Branch | Heer |
Service years | 1940–1945 |
Rank | Oberleutnant |
| Unit | 502nd Heavy Panzer Battalion 512th Heavy Panzerjäger Battalion |
Conflicts | World War II |
| Awards | Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves |
| Other work | Pharmacist |
World War II
Carius graduated from school in 1940, a year after the Second World War started. He enlisted in the army and was accepted after twice being rejected for being underweight. He first served in the infantry before volunteering for the Panzer branch. His father called tanks "metal deathtraps."[1][2] Carius was transferred to the 502nd Heavy Panzer Battalion in 1943 and fought in the northern Eastern Front.
In early 1945 he was made commander of a Jagdtiger company of the 512th Heavy Anti-tank Battalion fighting on the Western Front. On 8 March 1945, the 2nd Company was directed to the front line near Siegburg, where it took part in the defense of the Rhine against the American forces crossing the river, with limited success. After being trapped in the Ruhr Pocket east of the Rhine, Carius ordered all his Jagdtigers destroyed to prevent their capture before surrendering to the US Army on 7 May. He was released from captivity on 21 May.[3]
Carius is was a "panzer ace" credited with destroying more than 150 enemy tanks. Most of his kills were on the Eastern Front.[4] He said in his autobiography that his gunner also shot down an attacking Soviet plane (possibly an IL-2) with the Tiger I's 88mm main gun in late 1943 on the Eastern Front.[5]
Later life
After the war, Carius studied pharmacology at Heidelberg University and set up a pharmacy which he named the "Tiger Apotheke" as a tribute to the Tiger tank. He also authored a book about his wartime experiences called "Tigers in the Mud", which was released in 1960. Carius ran his pharmacy until retiring in 2011. He died on 24 January 2015 at age 92.[6]
Works
- Tigers in the Mud: The Combat Career of German Panzer Commander Otto Carius. Mechanicsburg, PA: Stackpole Books. ISBN 978-0-8117-2911-6. The book was adapted into a manga by Hayao Miyazaki.[7]
Awards
- Iron Cross (1939)
- Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves
- Panzer Badge in Silver 2nd Grade (15 July 1944) & 3rd Grade (1 September 1944)[12]
- Wound Badge in Black (8 July 1941), in Silver (15 December 1943) & in Gold (11 September 1944)[2]
