Tigers Covered With Mud

An all-watercolor manga based on Tigers In The Mud, the memoirs of Otto Carius, a German tank commander.

Tiger Ace Otto Carius destroyed more than 150 tanks during his WWII career. Carius originally joined the 20th Panzer Division in 1941, during the attack on Russia. In 1943 he transferred to the 502 Tiger battalion. This unit fought at Leningrad and then in the area of Narva, Estonia. Carius was wounded in the summer of 1944, subsequently becoming the commander of a Jagdtiger company in the West at the beginning of 1945. He surrendered to the Americans in May.

Miyazaki's manga concerns the exploits of Carius in Estonia during his fight against the advancing Soviet army. All of the characters appear as pigs.

This series has the subtitle "Mousou Nouto" ("Fantasy Note" -- however, mousou can also mean "wild or crazy idea" or "delusion"). This is a change from the title "Zassou Note" used for previous manga by Miyazaki published in the same venue. (http://www.nausicaa.net)