Otto Carius

Otto Carius
Otto Carius
Born	27 May 1922 Zweibrücken, Weimar Republic
Died	24 January 2015 (aged 92) Herschweiler-Pettersheim, Germany
Allegiance	Nazi Germany
Service/branch	Heer
Years of service	1940–45
Rank	Oberleutnant of the Reserves
Unit	21st Panzer Regiment Schwere Panzer-Abteilung 502 Schwere Panzerjägerabteilung 512
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 within the German Army who fought during World War II. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves, awarded by Nazi Germany to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership.

World War II

Otto Carius enlisted in the army and 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] After the war, Carius set up a pharmacy which was aptly called "Tiger Apotheke". Carius died on 24 January 2015 at age 92. The news coverage around his death described him as a "panzer ace credited with destroying more than 150 enemy tanks, mostly on the Eastern Front."^[3]

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

• Iron Cross (1939)
  • 2nd Class (15 September 1942)^[4]
  • 1st Class (23 November 1943)^[4]
• 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^[5]
  • 535th Oak Leaves on 27 July 1944 as Leutnant of the Reserves and leader of the 2./schwere Panzer-Abteilung 502^[5]
• Panzer Badge in Silver
  • 2nd Grade (15 July 1944)^[6]
  • 3rd Grade (1 September 1944)^[7]

References

Citations

1. "Otto Carius". The Times. 12 February 2015. Retrieved 12 June 2015.
2. Stockert 2012, p. 124.
3. German World War II Panzer Ace Otto Carius Dies at 92, Mercury News
4. Thomas 1997, p. 97.
5. Scherzer 2007, p. 257.
6. Carius 2003, Document 27
7. Carius 2003, Document 26

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 Miltaer-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.