OTTO CARIUS: Oberleutnant Otto Carius of 2/ Kompanie Schwere Panzer Abteilung 502 was a Panzer warrior of memorable quality. This German Panzer Ace set standards of courage and achievement. With at least 150 tank kill victories to his credit on the Eastern front, he was awarded Das Eichenlaub zum Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes (The Knights Cross with Oak leaves). And he was also the recipient of the rare tank battle badge in silver (Panzerkampfabzeichen) for 100 engagements. Otto Carius most successful mission was when he led his company of Tigers, the “Carius Kampfgruppen” against an entire Russian tank brigade equipped with the new Joseph Stalin II heavy tank. Carius plan was to allow the Russians to close in, then ambush them by destroying the lead and the last vehicles to prevent the rest of the tanks from escaping. Within half and hour the Tiger crews saw dust on the horizon, then the column of tanks, there were numerous supply vehicles in the column, and the tanks had their guns fully elevated, most of the tanks carried infantry, and obviously the Russians did not expect to see combat in that area. The lead tank crossed through the ambush zone, and Carius gave the order to fire. The Tigers made short work of the exposed column, destroying the entire Joseph Stalin tank brigade. The entire Soviet column was a scene of complete chaos as fire and explosions erupted all along the line of burning vehicles. 28 JS II heavy tanks were destroyed and numerous fuel and ammunition trucks. Otto Carius became the tank nemesis of the Soviets, they feared him, fame and accolades awarded the Soviet tanker who could bring back Carius scalp. Squadrons of tanks were sent to nail him, none did, and he survived the war to pass into both legend and history as one of the unforgettable tank men of the conflict. The Otto Carius legend was taking form, etched with fiery clarity in the Panzer battles on the Eastern Front. He paid little heed to fog or adverse weather conditions, a lethal tank ghost with a flaming touch. Supremely confident in his command of the Tiger tank, he could lead his Tiger crew anywhere with him. He was the greatest of the “Lone Wolf”. The five-man crew became a deadly combination in the Tiger tank. Teamwork developed from a blend of hard experience and intuition that turned the Tiger tank into a death-dealing wraith upon the Soviets. The heart, brain, and inspiration of the combination was Otto Carius. His aggressive spirit could not be quenched while there were masses of enemy tanks, he would violate orders to get at his foes. The aggressive Carius began to ring up strings of multiple tank kills, battling the Soviets at the summit of his powers. Otto Carius was determined to reveal the capabilities of the Tiger tank, of which he was the bearer and embodiment. Deep, abiding patriotism, neither centered on nor anchored to ephemeral political regimes was the foundation of his character. Service as an officer in the armed forces was his tradition and his youthful goal, little else in life meant anything to him but service to his nation. Otto Carius and his crew developed an extremely potent morale, and this spirit quickly reflected in the string of kills scored on the Eastern Front. Otto Carius was unconquered by his enemies. Late in the war Otto Carius was transferred to the west and eventually commanded a company of Hunting Tigers in Jagdtiger Abteilung 512. The men commanding these Jagdtigers were Germany’s premium. The feeling of confidence, superiority, and invincibility that the Jagdtigers gave its crews caused their morale to zoom even in the final days of the war. In battling allied armor, the Jagdtiger was superior to anything sent against it. The Jagdtiger was an armored weapon of multiple virtues. Superbly effective against the allied streams of tanks, its heavy armor and armament was a relative immunity to allied armor that did great physical and morale damage to the enemy. Crowning its virtues, the Jagdtiger restored and fortified German tank morale and depressed that of the enemy. No tanker under his command was asked to do anything that Otto Carius had not already done himself. Such was the breadth of his experience. In hundreds of land battles in five and a half years of war, he had flirted and escaped death at the hands of the allies and the soviets whose purpose was to kill him. Against all odds he survived the war. His outstanding military feats earned him a permanent place in the history of armored combat. Indeed, a Panzer warrior of memorable quality and a true Knight of Steel.
