Otto Carius – The Motor Pool

Product Spotlight: Lunge of the Tigers

PMA’s 1:72 scale German Mid Production Sd. Kfz. 181 PzKpfw VI Tiger Ausf. E Heavy Tank – Obersturmbanfuhrer Otto Carius, ‘217’, schwere Panzerabteilung 502, Malinava, Russia, 1944 [Bonus Maybach HL 230 TRM P45 Engine]

On July 22nd, 1944, Obersturmbanfuhrer Otto Carius, along with his company of eight Tiger tanks, advanced towards the Russian village of Malinava to stymie a Soviet advance. After ordering his column to halt on the outskirts of town, Carius, together with Obersturmbanfuhrer Kerscher, decided to reconnoiter the small hamlet with the help of a commandeered Kubelwagen. They quickly discovered that the village was already in Russian hands so they turned tail before they were spotted by the enemy.

Upon returning to his company, Carius explained the situation to his men. Realizing he had little time to lose, Carius decided to attack the village before additional Russian armor could link up with the occupying force. He elected to storm the village with only two Tigers instead of the entire company since only one unimproved road led into town and he felt that the column could be exposed to enemy fire if the entire company advanced. While the rest of his company was held in reserve, Carius and Kerscher’s Tigers sped towards the village of Malinava, itching for a fight.

Comes with a 1:72 scale diecast engine which can be removed from the vehicle

Two T-34/85 tanks occupying Malinava saw the Tigers and immediately took aim against Carius’ Tiger (No. 217). Fortunately for Carius, Kerscher’s Tiger (No. 213), which trailed Carius by some 150-meters, fired quickly, knocking out both Russian targets before they had a chance to shoot.

As he entered the village, Carius soon came face-to-face with the latest Russian behemoth to enter the fray: the huge JS-I heavy tank, which was armed with the long-barreled 122mm gun. Confused at first, because the tank’s silhouette resembled a King Tiger tank, Carius eventually ordered his gunner to fire, claiming yet another victim in the cauldron of battle.

Hatches and other areas of the vehicle can be opened and inspected. Includes a removable turret.

Together with Kerscher’s tank, the two Tigers would eventually knock out a further 14 Russian tanks before calling it a day, breaking the back of the Russian onslaught without loss to his own troop.

Look for PMA’s 1:72 scale rendition of Otto Carius’ war horse sometime during the fourth quarter of 2019.

RIP Otto Carius

They say winter is the roughest time of the year for the elderly and lately those words seem to be ringing true. Yesterday, famed German tank ace, Otto Carius, passed away at the age of 92 from a brief but serious illness.

Carius was a German tank ace within the German Army who fought during World War II and was credited with destroying more than 150 tanks. He was a recipient of the Knight’s Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves (German: Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes mit Eichenlaub). 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.

After the war he studied pharmacy at Heidelberg University. In 1956 he started his own pharmacy shop called Tiger Apotheke in Herschweiler-Pettersheim, Rhineland-Palatinate, named after the Tiger tank, which he managed till 2011. He also wrote a book about his own experience in the war, entitled Tigers in the Mud.

Unimax Decides Upon Some Name Dropping for 2013

Recognizing that a legendary ace helps to spur sales, Unimax has decided to leverage two venerable names from the pages of military history for their early 2013 range. Armor enthusiasts should have no trouble with the name Otto Carius, the diminutive panzer ace who commanded both a TIger I heavy tank and later a Jagdtiger heavy tank destroyer. Their latest 1:32 scale Jagdtiger (#UNI80078) bears his turret identification number ‘201’, which was attached to schwere panzerjager abteilung 512 in the waning stages of WWII.

Also expected is Unimax’ first ever 1:72 scale rendition of a McDonnell F-4J Phantom II fighter-bomber, which bears the ignominious number “100” on its fuselage, signalling its place in history as “Showtime 100” (UNI85021). Piloted by Randy “Duke” Cunningham, this F-4 was famously connected with the supposed North Vietnamese ace, Colonel Toon, during the latter stages of the Vietnam Conflict. Look for both new entrants later this spring.