Bismarck

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Rank
Günther Lütjens
Nationality German
RankFleet 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

 



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