| Günther
Lütjens |
| Nationality |
German |
| Rank |
Fleet
Chief Admiral |
| Born |
25 May
1889, Wiesbaden, Germany |
| Died |
27 May
1941 (Bismarck) |
| Career |
| 3 April
1907 |
Entered
Imperial Navy, crew of 1907, appointed sea cadet |
| 3 April
1907 - 8 April 1907 |
Naval
School |
| 9 May
1907 - 31 Mar. 1908 |
Heavy
Cruiser Freya (training ship). Basic seaman training
during a Mediterranean cruise. Inspectorate of
naval training system |
| 1 April
1908 - 31 Mar. 1909 |
Naval
School, Kiel |
| 21 April
1908 |
Promotion
to Ensign |
| 1 April
1909 - 30 June 1909 |
Naval
Artillery School |
| 1 July
1909 - 31 Aug. 1909 |
Torpedo
training and testing ship Wurttemberg |
| 1 Sept.
1909 - 30 Sept. 1909 |
Second
Sea Battalion |
| 1 Oct.1909
- 14 Sept. 1910 |
Battleship
Elsass |
| 15 Sept.
1910 - 25 Sept. 1910 |
At command
of First Naval Inspection |
| 26 Sept.
1910 - 31 Mar. 1911 |
Mürwik:
naval apprentice trainer |
| 28 Sept.
1910 |
Promotion to Lieutenant |
| 1 April
1911 - 31 Mar. 1913 |
Naval
cadet teacher, naval cadet training ship Hansa.
Inspectorate of naval training |
| 1 April
1913 - 30 Sept. 1913 |
Mürwik:
naval apprentice trainer |
| 27 Sept.
1913 |
Promotion
to First Lieutenant |
| 1 Oct.
1913 - 31 Oct. 1913> |
First
Torpedo Division |
| 1 Nov.
1913 - 21 Dec. 1913 |
Third
Torpedo Boat Flotilla. Sixth Torpedo Semi-Flotilla
on G-169, simultaneously company officer: Sixth
T-Reserve Semi-Flotilla |
| 24 Dec.
1913 - 14 Mar. 1914 |
Company
officer: First Torpedo Division. At times commandant
of a torpedo boat |
| 15 Mar.
1914 - 31 July 1914 |
Inspectorate
of Torpedo Operations in Kiel. Sixth Torpedo
Semi-Flotilla-simultaneously company officer:
Sixth T-Reserve Semi-Flotilla |
| 1 Aug.
1914 - 6 Dec. 1914 |
Harbor
flotilla, Jade. As of 04.09.1914 Commander of
T-68 (ex-S-68) |
| 7 Dec.
1914 - 1 Jan. 1915 |
First
Torpedo Division |
| 2 Jan.
1915 - 15 Jan. 1915 |
Minesweeping
training |
| 16 Jan.
1915 - 13 Mar. 1915 |
First
Torpedo Division: training boat commander |
| 14 Mar.
1915 - 4 May 1915 |
First
Torpedo Division |
| 5 May
1915 - 10 Nov. 1918 |
Torpedo
boat flotilla, Flanders, Torpedo boat commander:
A-5 and A-20. As of February 1916 Chief of the
Second A-Semi-Flotilla, Flanders, simultaneously
Commander of A-40 |
| ...
as of 16 June 1915 |
Regular
night patrol service off Zeebrugge with A-5 (Lütjens) |
| 5 Aug.
1915 |
A-5
(Lütjens), advance with A-7 and A-8 to Thornton
Bank (salvage of a French seaplane) |
| 22 Aug.
1915 - 23 Aug. 1915 |
A-5
(Lütjens), advance with A-13 and A-14 to
mouth of Scheide (action against merchant shipping) |
| 28 Nov.
1915 |
A-5
(Zeebrugge guard boat) tows in a downed airplane
with air support |
| 25 May
1916 |
Torpedo
flotilla, Flanders: A boat mine reconaissance |
| 25 Mar.
1917, 11:15 PM |
From
Ostende: A-39, A-40, A-42 (Lütjens) & A-45,
artillery attack on Dunkerque from 2:16 to 2:22
AM on 26.03.1917 (return date) |
| 24 April
1917, 09:30 PM |
From
Zeebrugge to night operations with A-39, A-40,
A-42 (Lütjens) and A-45, to the Stroombank
buoy off Ostende, combat with two S-boats, 02:15-02:22
AM (April 25): artillery attack on Dunkerque.
Retreating action with the French T-boat Etendard.
Return 25.04.1917 |
| 2 May
1917, 09:25 PM |
Search
operation (for a downed airplane) with A-42 (Lütjens)
and A-40. 10:45 PM: artillery action against
British S-boats north of Middelkerke Bank. Return
03.05.1917 |
| 19 May
1917, 09:45 PM |
Under
leadership of Group Leader (Lütjens) operation
of Second Torpedo Semi-Flotilla in direction
of eastern exit of Zuidcoot Pass: A-42 (Lütjens),
A-39, A-40, A-43 and A-45. Action with French
T-boats. The units Bouclier (8 dead, 11 wounded)
and Capitaine Mehl were hit. Return 20.05.1917 |
| 24 May
1917 |
Promotion
to Lieutenant Commander |
| 12 July
1917 - 13 July 1917 |
Joint
action with three C-planes against merchant shipping:
prizes brought in by A-40 (Lütjens) and
A-46 |
| 25 July
1917 |
A-boats
of the second Semi-Flotilla: actions against
British barrage group |
| 5 Aug.
1917 - 6 Aug. 1917 |
A-40
(Lütjens) brings in A-42, damaged by a mine |
| 24 Sept.
1917 |
A-40
(Lütjens) and A-50 as well as V-71 and V-73
in supporting action north of Middelkerke Bank.
Action against five British destroyers and five
enemy planes |
| 28 Sept.
1917 |
Brought
in the submarine U-70 |
| 15 Nov.
1917 |
Securing
activity |
| 17 Nov.
1917 |
Run
to southeast of Buoy 13 in test cruise of Second
Torpedo Semi-Flotilla Flanders (Lütjens)
A-50 and S-54 on mines |
| 17 Feb.
1918 - 18 Feb. 1918 |
A-40
badly damaged in air raid on Bruges shipyards |
| 22 April
1918 - 23 April 1918 |
British
attempt to blockade Zeebrugge and Ostende |
| 24 April
1918 |
Boats
of Second Torpedo Semi-Flotilla Flanders leave
Zeebrugge for routine removal operation |
| 11 Nov.
1918 - 23 Nov. 1918 |
Retreat
from Antwerp to Kiel (war ends) |
| 15 Nov.
1918 |
A-40
and A-42, among others, left behind in withdrawal
from bases in Flanders |
| 24 Nov.
1918 - 30 Nov. 1918 |
Kiel:
under command of Baltic Sea Naval Station |
| 1 Dec.
1918 - 23 Jan. 1919 |
Warnemünde:
Leader of sea transport unit |
| 21 Jan.
1919 - 7 Feb. 1919 |
Lübeck:
Leader of sea transport unit |
| 8 Feb.
1919 - 9 Mar. 1919 |
Warnemünde:
Leader of sea transport unit |
| 10 Mar.
1919 - 7 July 1919 |
Admiralty
duty |
| 8 July
1919 - 14 Sept. 1919 |
Lübeck:
Leader of sea transport unit |
| 15 Sept.
1919 - 6 June 1921 |
Company
leader: Coast guard unit III/Camp IV |
| 7 June
1921 - 30 Sept. 1923 |
Berlin:
Administrator in naval command: Naval Command
Office A, Fleet Section A II (Gladisch/Assmann,
Lütjens/Lindemann), 1922: General Navy Office
B |
| 1 Oct.1923
- 25 Sept. 1925 |
Second
Torpedo Flotilla: Chief of Third Torpedo Semi-Flotilla |
| 26 Sept.
1925 - 2 Oct. 1929 |
Wilhelmshaven:
North Sea Naval Station, First Adjutant and Personnel
Officer |
| 1 April
1926 |
Promotion
to Corvette Captain |
| 1 Aug.
1926 - 31 Aug. 1926 |
Supernumerary
assignment to naval yacht Asta |
| 5 Dec.
1927 - 9 Dec. 1927 |
Staff
officer-torpedo training |
| 21 April
1928 - 28 April 1928 |
Supernumerary
assignment to battleship Schlesien |
| 14 Aug.
1928 - 18 Aug. 1928 |
Supernumerary
assignment to battleship Schlesien |
| 3 Oct.
1929 - 8 Jan. 1930 |
Swinemünde:
Chief of the First Torpedo Boat Flotilla |
| 9 Jan.
1930 - 11 Jan. 1930 |
Staff
officer training for leadership position |
| 12 Jan.
1930 - 2 Feb. 1930 |
Chief
of the First Torpedo Flotilla |
| 3 Feb.
1930 - 7 Feb. 1930 |
Torpedo
and Intelligence School: torpedo training for
staff officers |
| 8 Feb.
1930 - 1 Feb. 1931 |
Chief
of the First Torpedo Flotilla |
| 2 Feb.
1931 - 6 Feb. 1931 |
Torpedo
and intelligence School: training for commanders
and staff officers in leadership positions |
| 7 Feb.
1931 - 15 Feb. 1931 |
Chief
of the First Torpedo Flotilla |
| 16 Feb.
1931 - 21 Feb. 1931 |
Berlin:
Naval Command: training for technical navigation |
| 22 Feb.
1931 - 16 Sept. 1931 |
Chief
of the First Torpedo Flotilla |
| 17 Sept.1931
- 25 Sept. 1931 |
Berlin:
Ministry of Defense/Naval Command: Administrator
A IIa, 1931: Lütjens, as A IIa in Fleet
Section (Boehm), plans and organizes the first
fleet maneuver with aircraft, 1932: Naval Command:
Department Director of the Naval Officer Personnel
Department (MPA) |
| 1 Oct.
1931 |
Promotion
to Frigate Captain |
| 26 Sept.
1932 - 15 Sept. 1934 |
Berlin:
Ministry of Defense: Director of the Naval Personnel
Office |
| 1 July
1933 |
Promotion
to Captain |
| 20 Aug.
1933 - 22 Aug. 1933 |
Battleship
Hessen: supernumerary assignment for fleet torpedo
firing |
| 16 Sept.
1934 - 23 Sept. 1935 |
Commander
of the Light (training) Cruiser Karlsruhe |
| 22 Oct.
1934 |
Light
Cruiser Karlsruhe (Captain Lütjens) leaves
Kiel with part of the naval officer class of
1934 (Crew 34) for a foreign (training) cruise
of several months |
| 1 June
1935 - 8 June 1935 |
Vigo,
Spain. Meeting with cruiser Emden, return trip
home together |
| 12 June
1935 |
Karlsruhe
and Emden arrive at Schillig Roadstead, Wilhelmshaven,
both commanders report to ObdM (Raeder) |
| 15 June
1935 |
Karlsruhe
arrives at Kiel (Naval Week) |
| 24 Sept.
1935 - 15 Mar. 1936 |
Wilhelmshaven:
North Sea Naval Station, Chief of Staff |
| 16 Mar.
1936 - 7 Oct. 1937 |
Berlin
W-35, Tirpitz-Ufer 72-76: Chief of Naval Personnel
Office (MPA) in Supreme Command of the Navy (OKM) |
| 1 Oct.
1937 |
Promotion
to Rear Admiral |
| 8 Oct.
1937 - 20 Oct. 1939 |
Commander
of the Torpedo Boats (FdT): Destroyers, torpedo
boats and high-speed boats, command ship: Destroyer
Leberecht Maass |
| 9 Nov.
1938 - 10 Nov. 1938 |
"Crystal
Night" (destruction of Jewish stores, action
against Jews), Lütjens protests to ObdM
(Raeder) |
| 1 Sept.
1939 |
Beginning
of German attack on Poland: outbreak of World
War II |
| 17 Oct.
1939 - 18 Oct. 1939 |
Offensive
FdT mine operation with six destroyers in the
North Sea, success: 7 craft, 25,825 tons |
| 1 Jan.
1940 |
Promotion
to Vice-Admiral |
| 4 Mar.
1940 - 13 April 1940 |
Fleet
Chief i.V. as of 07.04.1940: Operation ''Weserübung''
(Scandinavian operation, Norway and Denmark):
cover group for Narvik and Trondheim under command
of Vice-Admiral Lütjens with battle cruisers
Gneisenau and Scharnhorst |
| 9 April
1940 |
Vestfjord:
short battle between Gneisenau and Scharnhorst
and British battlecruiser Renown |
| 14 June
1940 |
Conferring
of the Knight's Cross to the iron Cross |
| 18 June
1940 - 8 July 1940 |
Fleet
Chief i.V. |
| 1 Sept.
1940 |
Promotion
to Admiral |
| 28 Dec.
1940 - 2 Jan. 1941 |
Operation
against merchant shipping by the battle cruisers
Gneisenau and Scharnhorst must be broken off |
| 22 Jan.
1941 - 23 Mar. 1941 |
Operation "Berlin" with
battleships Gneisenau and Scharnhorst, action
against merchant shipping in the Atlantic, success:
22 units sunk, total 115,622 tons |
| >19
May 1941 - 27 May 1941 |
Operation "Rheinübung" with
battleship/fleet flagship Bismarck (Captain Lindemann)
and heavy cruiser Prinz Eugen (Captain Brinkmann) |
| 1 June
1941 |
Prinz
Eugen reaches Brest |
| 11 Aug.
1967 |
Bath,
USA: Bath Iron Works, christening of the first
West German guided-missile destroyer with the
name Lütjens |
