Tigers in the Mud

The Combat Career of German Panzer Commander Otto Carius

By: Otto Carius

Narrated by: Paul Woodson

World War II began with a metallic roar as the German Blitzkrieg raced across Europe, spearheaded by the most dreaded weapon of the 20th century: the Panzer. No German tank better represents that thundering power than the infamous Tiger, and Otto Carius was one of the most successful commanders to ever take a Tiger into battle, destroying well over 150 enemy tanks during his incredible career.

©1992 J. J. Fedorowicz Publishing, Inc. (P)2016 Tantor

an interesting look a WWII.

I liked it though Carius comes off as an unrepentant Nazi that seems to be in denial of the atrocities committed by Germany in WWII.

Very very good

I have the book, but reading at work is forbidden. Listening to it was not as good as reading but still captured this great memior. May the author rest in peace.

Great Frontline story - given perspective

I was apprehensive about reading a booking by a German in ww2. So, before reading this book, it's important to remember the time period and background of the author. He was a young german in 1939 when his country went to war and he volunteered. He spent the war fighting on the front lines only to be on the loosing side, and then had Germany divided up among the allied powers. His frustrations and anger show through in several parts of the book and there are multiple parts that are... grating.
With that said, it's a fantastic book, and good speaker. There are alot of interesting tidbits of information throughout, how the Russians fought vs. how the Americans fought, how demoralizing the U.S. Air Force was to the Germans, the rivalry between the whmert and the ss, how frusting it was to see generals make horrible tactical decisions, how misserable the Russian front was in winter, the dominance of the tiger tank, advancing so fast that your own artillery fires on you, how the German press reported on the action, and so on.

A Modern Epic

Otto Carius follows in the steps of the many great soldaten memoirs to come out of Germany in the last century. His experiences and delivery of his experiences put this on par, if not exceeding the quality of those such as von Luck, Bartmann, Jünger, and others.

The few reviews that call Carius arrogant or a poor loser seem incredibly near-sighted and give an unjust portrayal of the Tiger commander and his writings. Through Carius’ words and an excellent translation, you are able to peer into the mind of a brilliant commander and honourable soldier. His criticisms of American forces can be substantiated through objective history, and in no way detract from this brilliant piece.

overall an interesting perspective

overall it was an interesting perspective. I like to hear what the other side had to say. that being said, this guy is insanely arrogant. I understand he can probably back his arrogance up but my God, he loves himself. an example of this being "the Americans were no match for us." -three lines later "the Americans had completely surrounded us" I understand what some of the other reviewers are saying about him being a holocaust denier, but I can understand that a little. I think maybe he just didn't want to believe it because he loved his country and didn't want to believe it because that would mean he fought for that. not saying that's a good excuse for being a denier, I'm just saying I understand it a little. one thing I think he's absolutely right about, is the way the German army was viewed after the war. putting them in the same category as guards at Auschwitz was about as rational as saying every Japanese citizen is responsible for Pearl harbor. overall, it's a good read. just take everything he says with a grain of salt.

Good German Panzer Perspective

Otto’s story was very insightful from a German Panzer perspective. His experience at war was a perspective from the other side and is well worth reading. His thoughts on the treatment of German soldiers by the Allies seems to be extremely naive especially when he used the analogy to a concentration camp perspective. He ignored the German atrocities on the Eastern front or refused to consider these when making his analogy.

Candid, but has the bias of a German nationalist.

I like the book. Fascinating and candid account of the experience of a German Panzer office on the Eastern front. aA few cringeworthy moments as you hear the author make the kind of nationalistic right wing statements you might expect from a dedicated German officer of the era. Example would be his implication that the holocaust was an exaggeration. He resents the national shame and blame his generation of German soldiers and officers were expected to carry. However, he seems to lay the blame on allied propaganda and not on any actual actions by those following the orders of the German high command or to some extent the command itself. He also blames anti-Hitler conspirators for not having the soldierly dedication to duty to kill Hitler despite years of day to day interactions with him.

a good historic read.

its a good listen and well narrated, but the author is both a good soldier, storyteller and one evil bastard.

An interesting if not also an opinionated story

A pretty interesting story if one wants to know about the daily life and personal accounts of a Tiger I tank commander. However, there isn't much detail in combat recounts and fairly little regarding tank comparisons or details. There are of course personal opinions about the war and those participating in it, but nothing anti-semitic or holocaust denial is presented. The few issues some other reviewers have are probably in reference to the author's disdain on how German soldiers were/are treated and represented by western culture. I was not alive then, let alone actually there, so I'll reserve any judgment on that part.

good story

good story about how it really was. show the real side of what is was like to be in the wermacht.