Otto Carius

Otto Carius
Born (1922-05-27)27 May 1922
Zweibrücken, Weimar Republic
Died 24 January 2015(2015-01-24) (aged 92)
Herschweiler-Pettersheim, Germany
Allegiance  Nazi Germany
Service/branch Army
Years of service 1940–45
Rank Oberleutnant
Unit 502nd heavy tank battalion
512th Heavy Panzerjäger Battalion
Battles/wars World War II
Awards Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves
Other work Pharmacist

Otto Carius (27 May 1922 – 24 January 2015) was a German tank commander in the army of Nazi Germany during World War II. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves.

World War II

Soon after Otto Carius graduated from school, World War II broke out. Carius enlisted in the army, and was only accepted after twice being rejected as unfit for service due to being underweight. He first served in the infantry, before volunteering for the Panzer branch.[1][1] In 1943, Carius transferred to the 502nd Heavy Panzer Battalion. He became commander of a Jagdtiger company of the 512th Heavy Antitank Battalion at the beginning of 1945. On 8 March 1945, 2nd Company was directed to the front line near Siegburg, where it took part in the defense of the River Rhine. He surrendered to the United States Army on 7 May 1945 and was released on 21 May 1945.[2] He is considered a "panzer ace" credited with destroying more than 150 enemy tanks, mostly on the Eastern Front.[3]

Later life

After the war, Carius studied pharmacy 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.[4]

Works

  • Tigers in the Mud: The Combat Career of German Panzer Commander Otto Carius. Mechanicsburg, PA: Stackpole Books. ISBN 978-0-8117-2911-6.

Awards

References

Citations

  1. 1 2 "Otto Carius". The Times. 12 February 2015. Retrieved 12 June 2015.
  2. ↑ Stockert 2012, p. 124.
  3. ↑ George Forty "Tiger Tank Battalions in World War II" p. 103.
  4. ↑ https://www.warhistoryonline.com/war-articles/otto-carius-famous-german-panzer-ace-of-wwii-dies-at-92.html
  5. ↑ Thomas 1997, p. 97.
  6. 1 2 Scherzer 2007, p. 257.
  7. ↑ Carius 2003, Document 27

Bibliography

  • Scherzer, Veit (2007). Die Ritterkreuzträger 1939–1945 Die Inhaber des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939 von Heer, Luftwaffe, Kriegsmarine, Waffen-SS, Volkssturm sowie mit Deutschland verbündeter Streitkräfte nach den Unterlagen des Bundesarchives [The Knight's Cross Bearers 1939–1945 The Holders of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross 1939 by Army, Air Force, Navy, Waffen-SS, Volkssturm and Allied Forces with Germany According to the Documents of the Federal Archives] (in German). Jena, Germany: Scherzers Militaer-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-938845-17-2.
  • Stockert, Peter (2012). Die Eichenlaubträger 1939–1945 Band 6 [The Oak Leaves Bearers 1939–1945 Volume 6] (in German) (3rd ed.). Bad Friedrichshall, Germany: Friedrichshaller Rundblick. OCLC 76072662.
  • Thomas, Franz (1997). Die Eichenlaubträger 1939–1945 Band 1: A–K [The Oak Leaves Bearers 1939–1945 Volume 1: A–K] (in German). Osnabrück, Germany: Biblio-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-7648-2299-6.
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