Otto Carius expires

Torvald Von Mansee · 02-03-15, 12:02 AM

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Otto_Carius

I am surprised this hasn't been mentioned, yet!!

Platapus · 02-03-15, 06:14 PM

To be honest, until reading your post, I had never heard of him before.

Is his death somehow more noteworthy than other WWI vets that are dying pretty much every day?

Did you know him or his family?

Aktungbby · 02-03-15, 06:42 PM

Platapus! He was the #2 and highest decorated surviving Tiger tank ace of WWII. Wittmann- "the black baron" gets all the publicity but there were three who out scored him. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_World_War_II_Panzer_aces_from_Germany

Stealhead · 02-03-15, 07:43 PM

What that list of aces tells me is that superior industrial capacity and logistics are what wins wars. Besides if I'm gonna pick a WWII German tank without doubt I'd choose the Panther.

Actually I'd choose to be a mechanic working on Shermans first because they where easier to maintain and second I'd severe my country best by being a mechanic over a direct combatant. If I was German then I'd be a Panther mechanic only if all Fw190 crew chief solts where filled.Of course if I was German I'd fell conflicted as I'm not a fan of Nazism but I'd still have to serve being a good citizen.

CCIP · 02-04-15, 01:27 AM

I have immense respects for aces and honest soldiers on all sides. He was quite badly wounded too.

Far from being "just another veteran", Carius was arguably the last living tank ace, at least certainly the last living man with more than 100 tank kills.

This also reminds me that there is only one submarine ace left alive on this planet today (Reinhardt Hardegen, who is 102 years old)

Losing every veteran is equally sad of course - everybody fought and suffered. But I treat figures like this as sort of milestones in our collective memory.

Jimbuna · 02-04-15, 06:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stealhead

What that list of aces tells me is that superior industrial capacity and logistics are what wins wars. Besides if I'm gonna pick a WWII German tank without doubt I'd choose the Panther.

Actually I'd choose to be a mechanic working on Shermans first because they where easier to maintain and second I'd severe my country best by being a mechanic over a direct combatant. If I was German then I'd be a Panther mechanic only if all Fw190 crew chief solts where filled.Of course if I was German I'd fell conflicted as I'm not a fan of Nazism but I'd still have to serve being a good citizen.

If you were a Panther mechanic you'd always have the heaviest workload in 'tank for tank' terms. The Panther was a nightmare to keep operational I believe.

Torvald Von Mansee · 02-04-15, 10:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stealhead

What that list of aces tells me is that superior industrial capacity and logistics are what wins wars. Besides if I'm gonna pick a WWII German tank without doubt I'd choose the Panther.

Actually I'd choose to be a mechanic working on Shermans first because they where easier to maintain and second I'd severe my country best by being a mechanic over a direct combatant. If I was German then I'd be a Panther mechanic only if all Fw190 crew chief solts where filled.Of course if I was German I'd fell conflicted as I'm not a fan of Nazism but I'd still have to serve being a good citizen.

I remember seeing a stat for Sherman vs KV maintenance. The Sherman needed either 4 hours of maintenance for every hour (or day?) of operation, while the KV series required 16 on the same chronometric.

Torvald Von Mansee · 02-04-15, 10:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aktungbby

Platapus! He was the #2 and highest decorated surviving Tiger tank ace of WWII. Wittmann- "the black baron" gets all the publicity but there were three who out scored him. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_World_War_II_Panzer_aces_from_Germany

He's just one of those people I was shocked was still alive. And Hardegan is OLDER and still well!!!

Aktungbby · 02-04-15, 10:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Torvald Von Mansee

He's just one of those people I was shocked was still alive. And Hardegan is OLDER and still well!!!

Yeah I'm following that with great interest actually and had posted on it . He's still playing golf...way to go Drumbeater!

Fubar2Niner · 02-04-15, 02:12 PM

An amazing thread. Thank you all for pointing this out, I have spent best part the afternoon on wiki ( thanks Aktungbby

) chasing down the history. Not only of Carius, but of the other lesser knowns and there respective panzer groups. Barbarosa, thru to Normandy, Falaise and beyond. Thank you gents

Best regards.
Fubar2Niner

02-03-15, 12:02 AM	#1
Torvald Von Mansee Sea Lord Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: CA4528 Posts: 1,693 Downloads: 3 Uploads: 0	Otto Carius expires http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Otto_Carius I am surprised this hasn't been mentioned, yet!! __________________ "You may not be interested in war, but war is interested in you" - Leon Trotsky

02-03-15, 06:42 PM	#3
Aktungbby Gefallen Engel U-666 Join Date: Jul 2013 Location: On a tilted, overheated, overpopulated spinning mudball on Collision course with Andromeda Galaxy Posts: 30,049 Downloads: 24 Uploads: 0	Platapus! He was the #2 and highest decorated surviving Tiger tank ace of WWII. Wittmann- "the black baron" gets all the publicity but there were three who out scored him. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_World_War_II_Panzer_aces_from_Germany __________________ "Only two things are infinite; The Universe and human squirrelyness?!!

02-03-15, 07:43 PM	#4
Stealhead Navy Seal Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Kentucky Posts: 5,421 Downloads: 85 Uploads: 0	What that list of aces tells me is that superior industrial capacity and logistics are what wins wars. Besides if I'm gonna pick a WWII German tank without doubt I'd choose the Panther. Actually I'd choose to be a mechanic working on Shermans first because they where easier to maintain and second I'd severe my country best by being a mechanic over a direct combatant. If I was German then I'd be a Panther mechanic only if all Fw190 crew chief solts where filled.Of course if I was German I'd fell conflicted as I'm not a fan of Nazism but I'd still have to serve being a good citizen. Last edited by Stealhead; 02-03-15 at 07:53 PM.

02-04-15, 01:27 AM	#5
CCIP Navy Seal Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Waterloo, Canada Posts: 8,700 Downloads: 29 Uploads: 2	I have immense respects for aces and honest soldiers on all sides. He was quite badly wounded too. Far from being "just another veteran", Carius was arguably the last living tank ace, at least certainly the last living man with more than 100 tank kills. This also reminds me that there is only one submarine ace left alive on this planet today (Reinhardt Hardegen, who is 102 years old) Losing every veteran is equally sad of course - everybody fought and suffered. But I treat figures like this as sort of milestones in our collective memory. __________________ There are only forty people in the world and five of them are hamburgers. -Don Van Vliet (aka Captain Beefheart)

02-03-15, 06:14 PM	#2
Platapus Fleet Admiral Join Date: Oct 2006 Posts: 19,386 Downloads: 63 Uploads: 0	To be honest, until reading your post, I had never heard of him before. Is his death somehow more noteworthy than other WWI vets that are dying pretty much every day? Did you know him or his family? __________________ abusus non tollit usum - A right should NOT be withheld from people on the basis that some tend to abuse that right.

02-04-15, 02:12 PM	#10
Fubar2Niner Silent Hunter Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: London. UK Posts: 4,180 Downloads: 279 Uploads: 0	An amazing thread. Thank you all for pointing this out, I have spent best part the afternoon on wiki ( thanks Aktungbby ) chasing down the history. Not only of Carius, but of the other lesser knowns and there respective panzer groups. Barbarosa, thru to Normandy, Falaise and beyond. Thank you gents Best regards. Fubar2Niner