Bismarck
Portrait of the Men Involved
Günther Lütjens | |
Nationality | German |
Rank | 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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