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Hello,

today Otto Carius, the last living great german Tank commander of WWII died.

Rest in peace Otto

One of the best , R.I.P

I didn't know where else to post it.

Today, January 24 2015, Otto Carius, one of the most famous and most successful Tiger commanders of the war, passed away at age 92 after a brief but serious bout with illness.



Carius commanded a Pz 38(t), a mid production Tiger and a JagdTiger during the war. He survived with 150 vehicle and many more than that 'soft target' kills, and ran a pharmacy after the war, called Tiger-Apotheke, that still exists. His memoirs is called 'Tigers in the mud', which at one point was adapted into a 6 part manga "Otto Carius: Doromamire no tora" by famed mangaka and anime director Hayao Miyazaki.

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Think of the man what you will, but it's still sad that with each passing year less and less voices can be heard that still remember the war. Soon everything we know will just be hearsay.

rip otto
i based a tank on his crew.......legends as are all tankers !

Good Afternoon,
Otto Carius was a Soldiers' Soldier. He and his crew(s) live on in History's Annals
regards and so long, Sir,
Painless

I had the good fortune to meet Mr. Carius personally 2 years ago. A great man with a big heart and linear views.
In the 2-hour conversation he revealed to me a new view of the war. Not a nice view, but a honest one.

RIP Otto you were one of the greates i shall Remeber you rest in piece.

I can't fault anyone for fighting for their country be they German's from WWII or not. Their country was caught up in some horrible things but to the regular man on the ground, at the front lines, all he was doing was fighting for his buddies and the thoughts of his family and you can't fault anyone for that. Not trying to turn this into a political battle nor am I "taking sides" but listening to my grand fathers stories of both wars I know not all Germans were evil monsters.

With the passing of each veteran of these wars we grow closer to forgetting the mistakes of the past and we all know what happens when we forget the past.

RIP Mr Carius,
You were one of the great commanders, and you managed to make a second career, after the 'conflict'
.
I am sad that he has 'passed away'

As a fan of WWII history from all sides I have gradually come to realise that that the stories of the soldiers 'in the field' are often the most valuable - even allowing for the inevitable subjectivity involved.

'Tigers in the Mud' is an essential read for anyone with more than a passing interest in the experience of tank crew in that conflict - and especially on the Eastern Front. He was able to talk eloquently - with appropriate compassion and dispassion - of the bravery and heroism of both his own soldiers and his enemy and the wider view of the war which he and his comrades held at the time.

My favourite story remains the one where, during a stressful moment, he bent down to take a light for his cigarette from his gunner. Otto rarely smoked and his loader - who hated the habit - chastised him for doing so. At that precise moment a Russian tank shell blew his cupola clean off...

Otto Carius was a very short man - but he walked tall (except when it mattered most...!)