Günther Lütjens

Who was Günther Lütjens?

Johann Günther Lütjens was a German Admiral whose military service spanned more than thirty years and two World Wars. Lütjens is best known for his actions during World War II and his command of the battleship Bismarck during its foray into the Atlantic Ocean in 1941. In its aftermath, the episode entered into naval legend.

Born in 1889, he entered into the German Imperial Navy in 1907. A diligent and intelligent cadet he progressed to officer rank before the outbreak of war, when he was assigned to a Torpedo boat Squadron. During World War I Lütjens operated in the North Sea and English Channel and fought several actions with the British Royal Navy. He ended the conflict as a Kapitänleutnant with the Iron Cross 1st and 2nd class to his credit. After the war he remained in the service of the navy, now renamed the Reichsmarine. He continued to serve in torpedo boat squadrons eventually becoming a Commanding Officer in 1925. In the Weimar Republic era, Lütjens built a reputation as an excellent staff officer.

In 1933, the year the National Socialists came to power under Adolf Hitler, the navy was remodelled again and renamed the Kriegsmarine. He soon became acquainted with Erich Raeder and Karl Donitz; the only two Commanders-in-Chief of the Kriegsmarine in World War II. His capability and friendship led to his promotion to Kapitän zur See and a sea command at the helm of the cruiser Karlsruhe. In the six years of peace he had risen to the rank of Konteradmiral Rear Admiral, a promotion conferred upon him October 1937.