| 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 |
