Otto Carius (27 May 1922 - 24 January 2015) was a German tank ace within the German Army who fought during World War II and was credited with destroying 68 tanks. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves. The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross and its higher grade Oak Leaves were awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership.

World War II

Early in the war, the slightly built Carius was rejected twice for military service for being underweight. However, he was eventually enlisted and initially served in the infantry, before volunteering for the Panzer branch.

In 1943, Carius transferred to the 502nd Heavy Panzer Battalion. He was severely wounded on 24 July 1944 while reconnoitering a village on a motorcycle. Until that day, he was unofficially running the 2nd Company of the 502nd. He officially became commander of 2nd Company on the day he was shot through the leg and arm, with four more wounds in the back and one the neck. When he recovered, 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 and eventually surrendered to the United States Army on 7 May 1945 in Iserlohn and was released on 21 May 1945.

Postwar

After the war Carius studied pharmacy at Heidelberg University. In 1956 he opened his own pharmacy shop called Tiger Apotheke in Herschweiler-Pettersheim, Rhineland-Palatinate, named after the Tiger tank. He ran his shop until he retired in 2011. He wrote a book about his experience in the war, Tigers in the Mud. Carius died on 24 January 2015 at age 92.

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 and achievements

• Wound Badge in Black (8 July 1941)
• Eastern Front Medal (20 August 1942)
• Iron Cross (1939)
  • 2nd Class (15 September 1942)
  • 1st Class (23 November 1943)
• Wound Badge in Silver (15 December 1943)
• Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves
  • Knight's Cross on 4 May 1944 as Leutnant of the Reserves and Zugführer (platoon leader) in the 2./schwere Panzer-Abteilung 502
  • 535th Oak Leaves on 27 July 1944 as Leutnant of the Reserves and leader of the 2./schwere Panzer-Abteilung 502
• Panzer Badge in Silver
  • 2nd Grade (15 July 1944)
  • 3rd Grade (1 September 1944)
• Wound Badge in Gold (11 September 1944)

Total claimed victories (kills):

• 150+ tanks, similar number of antitank guns (100-110 tanks following another source,) majority on the Eastern Front.

[ Source: Wikipedia ]