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Biltz's Battlegroup (1500pts Army Deal)

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Includes one Jagdtiger, two Otto Carius Tank Commander figure, one Otto Carius Dismounted figure, four Crew figures, one Dismounted Crew figure, one Decal sheet & one Small two-hole base.

Born on 27 May 1922 in Zweibrucken, Otto Carius was rejected twice for military service as unfit because of his slight weight and build. On his third attempt he was finally accepted, and in May 1940 he was assigned to the 104th Infantry Replacement Battalion in Posen. After completing his infantry training, he volunteered for the Panzer Corps, despite the fact that his father had categorically forbidden him from joining the armoured units. By October 1940, he was training with the newly raised 21. Panzerregiment (21st Armoured Regiment).

The panzer regiment fielded the light Panzer 38(t) and was committed to Operation Barbarossa, the invasion of the Soviet Union, on 22 June 1941. Carius initially served as a loader, which he described as the worst position in the tank because the loader couldn't see out and rarely got any fresh air. Carius had to bail out of his tank for the first time on 8 July 1941 when his 38(t) was hit by a round from a Soviet 45mm anti-tank gun. Carius suffered a shrapnel wound to the face and lost several teeth in the incident. Another nasty surprise for the German tankers during the summer of 1941 was the appearance of the Soviet T-34 tank in quantity. Only the 8.8cm Flak gun could deal effectively with these well-armoured and well-armed Soviet vehicles. It was at this point Carius first realised that there would not be a ‘quick end to the [Soviet] campaign.’

On 4 August 1941, Carius was ordered to join the 25th Panzer Replacement Battalion for officer candidate training. Carius completed the course on 2 February 1942, but did not pass. Returning to the front, his unit received replacement vehicles and defended against various Soviet attacks around Gshatsk from March through June 1942.

On 22 July 1944, as part of a larger effort to capture Riga and divide German forces in the Baltics, Soviet armoured elements advanced to Krivani. Realizing that more Soviet forces were on the way, Carius attacked the village with only two tanks. The second tank belonged to the highly-decorated Leutnant Albert Kerscher. Over the next 20 minutes, Carius and Kerscher knocked out 17 IS-2 tanks and five T-34s. His unit went on to destroy several more Soviet tanks and vehicles as the rest of the column arrived, completely halting the advance.

Two days after this action, Carius was riding a BMW motorcycle performing reconnaissance when he was ambushed by partisans and regular Soviet army infantry.

Wounded, Carius crashed into a ditch where he was again shot several times at close range by a Soviet officer, including one bullet in his neck. Saved by the timely arrival of his unit’s Tigers, Carius was miraculously still alive. For his action at Krivani, Carius was promoted to Oberleutnant (1st Lieutenant) and became the youngest officer to receive the Knight’s Cross with Oak Leaves. Carius was removed from active duty to recover from his wounds until the end of 1944.

In January 1945, Carius was prohibited from rejoining his former Tiger battalion, due to his fame. He was then recruited by Hauptmann Walter Scherf, of the 512. Schwere Panzerjäger Abteilung, to lead its second company.

The unit fielded the new Jagdtiger tank destroyer. Carius was unimpressed with the new weapon, as he had been a tank commander and was used to turret-mounted armament. Most of the men in his company were also converted conventional tankers rather than veterans of the Panzerjäger or assault gun units. In late March, after little time to train, Carius's company was committed to battle as a part of Schwere Panzergruppe Hudel in an attempt to smash the Remagen bridgehead.

His unit was initially very reluctant to engage the Americans, with two of his Jagdtigers allowing an entire armoured column to pass through perfect firing positions unmolested. These two Jagdtigers were subsequently lost when they panicked and fled the area at high speed resulting in mechanical breakdowns of both vehicles. Carius and his company later defended Unna, destroying 20 American tanks before being forced to withdraw. By 15 April 1945, the situation was untenable and Carius ordered his six remaining Jagdtigers destroyed and he surrendered his command.

By the end of his service, Carius had destroyed over 150 tanks, making him one of the leading tank aces of the war. After the war, he opened a pharmacy named Tiger Apotheke, where he still reportedly works to this day at the age of 91. Carius has also written books detailing his experiences, and by extension the experience of the German soldier, during World War II.

Designed by Evan Allen
Painted by James Brown

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Biltz's Battlegroup (1500pts Army Deal)

Biltz's Battlegroup (1500pts Army Deal)

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