Tigers in the mud
By Otto Carius
After a bit of a slow start, this one turned into quite an interesting book. Carius seems to have been a quite jovial fellow who could keep his wits about him, despite being stuck in the middle of what must have been the worst battle ground of the twentieth century, whilst fighting for the losing side. The most interesting aspect of this book, is of course his experiences in the Panzer VI 'Tiger I', although his later time in Jagdtigers is also quite informative. I have often wondered if the Tiger I's reputation is based on actual facts, or just a whole lot of hyperbole. If Carius is to be believed then it is surely a mixture of the two, for whilst he recounts some pretty incredible experiences in the famous tank, he doesn't pretend it was anything near the perfect killing machine some people might suppose. 3/5