Günther Lütjens
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| Günther Lütjens | |
|---|---|
| 25 May 1889 – 27 May 1941 (aged 52) | |
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| Place of birth | Wiesbaden, Hesse-Nassau |
| Place of death | Atlantic Ocean |
| Resting place | (48°10′N 16°12′W / 48.167°N 16.2°W) |
| Allegiance |  German Empire (to 1918) Weimar Republic (to 1933) Nazi Germany |
| Service/branch |  Kaiserliche Marine Reichsmarine Kriegsmarine |
| Years of service | 1907–1941 |
| Rank | Admiral |
| Commands held | Karlsruhe (1934-1935) Admiral Hipper (1940) Gneisenau (flagship) and Scharnhorst (1940-1941) Bismarck (flagship) and Prinz Eugen (1941) |
| Battles/wars | Wars:
Campaigns: Operations: Battles: |
| Awards | Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross |
Günther Lütjens (25 May 1889 - 27 May 1941) was a German Admiral whose military service spanned almost three decades. Lütjens is most well known for his actions during World War II, primarily his command of Bismarck and her consort, Prinz Eugen, during the Operation Rheinübung sortie.
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[edit] Early career
Gunther Lütjens was born in Wiesbaden and entered the Imperial German Navy (Kaiserliche Marine) in 1907.[1] He spent his initial years on Freya. After receiving his commission, he served onboard Elsaß until 1910, and from 1910-1913 aboard König Wilhelm.
[edit] World War I
From 1913 until the end of World War I, Lütjens was commander of torpedo boats along the Flemish coast, leading raids against Dunkerque. On 24 May 1917, Lütjens was promoted to Kapitänleutnant.
[edit] Inter War Service
After the war, he worked as an officer at the Warnemünde Ship Transportation Agency from 1918 until 1921, when he returned to the newly reorganized German Navy, by that time with the rank of Commander. Lütjens served until 1925 in the 3rd Torpedo Boat Flotilla and eventually became its commanding officer.
In 1933, he received command of Karlsruhe. Lütjens first met Karl Dönitz, future Commander-in-Chief of the Kriegsmarine at Wilhelmshaven in July 1935. At that point Dönitz had been entrusted with the rebuilding of the U-Boat arm but had spent the summer at sea commanding Emden. After arriving at port he met with Admiral Erich Raeder. Dönitz Raeder said:
Lutjens is to become chief of the Officer Personnel Branch at Naval Headquarters with the task of forming an officer Corps for the new Navy we are about to build.
Dönitz was given command of the U-Boat arm at the same time.[2]
In 1936, Lütjens was appointed Chief of Personnel of the Kriegsmarine. In 1937, he became Führer der Torpedoboote (Chief of Torpedo Boats) and was promoted to Rear Admiral.[1]
In November 1938 Lütjens was one of only three flag officers who protested, in writing, against the anti-Jewish "Kristallnacht" pogroms.[1].
[edit] World War II
[edit] Operation Weserübung
At the outbreak of World War II Lütjens was Commander of Scouting Forces. In April 1940, during the invasion of Denmark and Norway (Operation Weserübung), he served as Vice Admiral, commanding the distant cover forces in the North Sea -- which consisted of Scharnhorst and Gneisenau -- and fighting an inconclusive battle with Renown. In June 1940, he became Commander of Battleships and the third Flottenchef (Fleet Commander) of the Kriegsmarine in World War II, a position comparable to the British Commander-in-Chief of the Home Fleet.
His predecessor, Vice Admiral Wilhelm Marschall, had repeated differences with the German High Command over the extent the Flottenchef should be bound to orders while operating at sea. Operating from Scharnhorst and Gneisenau, Marschall had realized the Allies were retreating from Norway and ignored his original orders by attacking the retreating British forces, sinking Glorious and its escorting Acasta and Ardent, but also receiving a torpedo hit on Scharnhorst. This failure to follow orders resulted in Marschall being replaced by Lütjens. Since the first Flottenchef had been removed for similar reasons, Lütjens was determined to follow his orders to the letter to avoid suffering the same fate.
[edit] Operation Berlin
On 28 December 1940, Lütjens commanded Scharnhorst and Gneisenau in an attempted Atlantic raid, during which he destroyed over 115,000 tons of Allied merchant shipping before returning to Brest, France. However due to weather the German force had to return to port: Gneisenau to Kiel and Scharnhorst to Gdynia.
On 22 January 1941 the mission was renewed. Lütjens selected Gneisenau as his flagship. Gneisenau and Scharnhorst sank and captured 22 vessels, including six on 15 March and 10 on 16 March. Lütjens, although sighted by Rodney, Ramillies and Ark Royal managed to evade British warships. The Operation lasted exactly two months, and the journey of 17,800 nmi (20,500 mi; 33,000 km) in 59 days was a record for German capital ships.[3]
[edit] Operation Rheinübung
[edit] The plan
Plans were then made for Lütjens to command Operation Rheinübung, taking all four German battleships and battlecruisers -- Bismarck, Scharnhorst, Gneisenau, and Tirpitz -- on a raid into the Atlantic. For various reasons, Tirpitz and the two battlecruisers could not be made ready for the operation, so it proceeded with only Bismarck and Prinz Eugen.
On 8 April 1941, Lutjens met with Admiral Donitz in Paris. Dönitz made the following assessment of the plan:
I met Admiral Lütjens, the Admiral commanding the fleet, in Paris. I knew Lütjens well and held him in high esteem. During the same years we had been in command of the cruisers Karlsruhe and Emden respectively. At the end of our overseas tours of duty we had returned to Germany in company. In the years immediately before the war, while I was senior Officer, submarines, Lütjens had been officer commanding Torpedo Boats. We were often together, both socially and on duty, we held the same views on naval matters and saw eye to eye in most things. At our conference in Paris we defined the support to given to the Bismarck exploit by U-Boats in the following terms:
1. The U-Boats would carry on as usual in their normal positions
2. If while the surface ships were at sea any opportunity arose for joint action with U-Boats, every effort should be made to exploit it to the full. For this purpose an experienced U-Boat Officer would be appointed for duty to the Bismarck. 3. Over the wavelengths used by the U-Boats, the Admiral commanding the fleet would be kept constantly informed of the dispositions of the boats and the intentions of the U-Boat Command.[4]
[edit] Rheinübung initiated
In the early hours of 19 May 1941, Bismarck and Prinz Eugen left Gotenhafen and proceeded through the Baltic Sea and out towards the Atlantic. Unbeknowst to Lütjens, the British had intercepted enough intelligence to suggest that a German naval operation might occur in the area, and had already sent Norfolk and Suffolk to monitor the strait. When a Swedish seaplane tender spotted the two German ships on 20 May, a message was sent to Allied forces that eventually made its way back to the British Admiralty.
On 21 May, Lütjens ordered a fuel stop in a fjord near Bergen. While Prinz Eugen was refueled, Lütjens for some reason declined to refuel the Bismarck. This was in spite of the fact that Bismarck had not left port with full fuel tanks and had spent one ninth of her remaining fuel to get to Bergen. Lütjens also knew that a German tanker, the Weissenberg, was waiting for him in the Arctic, only an additional day's sailing away, but farther from prying Allied eyes. By this time, the British Admiralty, concerned by the Swedish report of two large German warships in the strait, had dispatched reconnaissance planes to scan the area. When one of these planes spotted the two German ships refueling near Bergen, the British immediately dispatched a task force consisting of the Hood and Prince of Wales to intercept them. When further air reconnaissance revealed that Bismarck had left Bergen on 22 May, the British launched the Home Fleet Battle Fleet, led by King George V. However, Lütjens remained unaware that the British were tracking him until 23 May, when his ships encountered Norfolk and Suffolk. Though shots were fired, no serious damage resulted to either side, and the outgunned British cruisers quickly withdrew, though they remained in radar range and continued to shadow the German ships.
Lütjens did not have long to determine how to shake his British pursuers before, in the early hours of 24 May 1941, Prinz Eugen's hydrophones detected two large British ships bearing down on their position. Hood and Prince of Wales had intercepted him.
[edit] Battle of the Denmark Strait
Lütjens' first instinct was to attempt to outrun the British ships, scrupulously obeying his orders to "avoid engagements with equal or superior forces unless forced to by the enemy". This was reinforced when the lead British ship was quickly identified as the Hood, pride of the British Navy and arguably the most feared capital ship in the world at the time. Even after the Hood began to fire on the two ships and it became obvious that an engagement was inevitable, Lütjens at first refused to allow his ships to return fire, much to the agitation of Captain Lindemann, who is said to have argued with Lütjens over how to proceed, finally snapping, "I will not allow my ship to be shot out from under my ass!".[5] Finally, the order to return fire was given, though whether the order was given by Lütjens, or an impatient Lindemann, cannot be confirmed.
During the brief "Battle of the Denmark Strait" that followed, the Hood quickly exploded and sank, killing all but three of her crew, after a shell from the Bismarck penetrated her rear powder magazine. Bismarck took a hit to the bow which passed through the waterline and caused a leak in the forward fuel tank. Prince of Wales subsequently sustained seven hits from the German ships, and, with significant damage to the bridge and most of her guns malfunctioning, was forced to withdraw. With the battle over, Lütjens once again stuck to his orders - ignoring Lindemann's desire to follow Prince of Wales and "finish her off" - and allowed the damaged British ship to escape.
[edit] Pursuit by the British
After assessing the damage to Bismarck's fuel supply and the subsequent effects on range and operational capacity (the ship had not completed its refuelling in Norway)- Lütjens ordered the Prinz Eugen to initiate commerce raiding on her own.[6], while Bismarck headed for St. Nazaire. To keep the British from detecting Prinz Eugen''s departure, Lütjens ordered Bismarck to steam directly towards Norfolk and Suffolk, forcing them to withdraw once more, while Prinz Eugen used the distraction to escape out of range of British radar.
In light of these developments, Lütjens addressed the crew as follows:
Seamen of the battleship Bismarck! You have covered yourself with glory! The sinking of the battle cruiser Hood has not only military, but psychological value, for she was the pride of England. Henceforth the enemy will to try to concentrate his forces and bring them into action against us. I therefore released Prinz Eugen at noon yesterday so that she could conduct commerce warfare on her own. She has managed to evade the enemy. We, on the other hand, because of the hits we have received, have been ordered to proceed to a French port. On our way there the enemy will gather and give us battle. The German people are with you, and we will fight until our gun barrels glow red-hot and the last shell has left the barrels. For us, seamen, the question is victory or death.[7]
In subsequent maneuvering on 25 May, Bismarck was able to elude the British for nearly four hours after Lütjens, taking advantage of his pursuers' zig-zag pattern of movement, performed a three quarters clockwise turn behind them. Bismarck's crew was unaware that the maneuver was successful, however, because they could only detect British radar, not gauge the strength of the signals, which only the British knew had become too weak to monitor. Unaware that his British pursuers - by now joined by the Home Fleet - had "lost" him, and in spite of Captain Lindemann's by-now-usual objections, Lütjens - still attempting to follow his orders to the letter - transmitted a 30-minute radio message to his superiors. This was intercepted by the British, who were able to plot Lütjens's approximate course. However, a plotting error caused the pursuing ships to veer too far to the north, allowing Bismarck to once again evade them through the night.
A British reconnaissance aircraft sighted Bismarck in the early morning hours of 26 May by following its oil slick. At this point, the Home Fleet and Norfolk following from the north were joined by Rodney, while Force H and Dorsetshire approached from the south, and Edinburgh from the west. Bismarck's low speed and southeasterly heading away from its known pursuers made it very easy for the new attackers to the south to catch up.
At dusk on 26 May, Swordfish torpedo aircraft from Ark Royal attacked. Though much of the damage was superficial, one torpedo jammed Bismarck's rudders and steering gear, rendering it largely unmaneuverable. Divers were put over the side but reported they could not clear the damage as the sea was then too rough. The crew was still able to steer Bismarck somewhat by adjusting the revolution speed of her propellers, but it reduced the ship's top speed to 7 kn (13 km/h) and effectively left it circling in the water. Throughout the night she was the target of incessant torpedo attacks by Cossack, Sikh, Maori, Zulu, and Piorun .
Lütjens recognised the gravity of the situation. At 2358 on 26 May, Lütjens transmitted to Group West, the Naval HQ:
To the Führer of the German Reich, Adolf Hitler. We will fight to the last in our trust in you, my Führer, and our firm confidence in Germany's victory.[8]
Hitler replied at 0153 on 27 May:
I thank you in the name of the whole German nation - Adolf Hitler. To the crew of the battleship Bismarck: all Germany is with you. What can be done will be done. Your devotion to your duty will strengthen our people in the struggle for their existence - Adolf Hitler[9]
[edit] Death
On the morning of Bismarck's final battle, 27 May 1941, Lütjens sent a request for a U-Boat to pick up Bismarck's war diary. In this last transmission Lütjens included: "Ship no longer manoeuvrable. We fight to the last shell. Long live the Führer".[10]
King George V and Rodney, accompanied by several cruisers and destroyers, inflicted severe damage on Bismarck. Although Bismarck's upper works were almost completely destroyed, her engine rooms were still functioning but filling up with smoke. Rather than risk her being captured, one of the remaining senior officers gave the order to scuttle and then abandon ship. Many of the crew went into the water, but a few sailors from the lower engine spaces also got out alive. 118 crew members were saved, while 2,106 died; many hundreds who had survived the sinking of the ship were left to die in the water by the British because of concerns that German U-boats might be in the vicinity.[11] Lütjens was among those who lost their lives -- probably killed when a 14-inch (360 mm) salvo fired by King George V destroyed the bridge, killing many senior officers.
[edit] Ship named after Lütjens
FGS Lütjens of the Deutsche Marine was named after Günther Lütjens; she was decommissioned in 2003.[1]
[edit] Unrealistic Film Portrayal in Sink the Bismarck!
In the 1960 film, Sink the Bismarck!, Lütjens is portrayed as egotistic, overconfident, and a Nazi enthusiast angered over Germany's humiliation and his own lack of recognition at the end of the First World War. In reality, Lütjens was pessimistic of the chance of success of Bismarck's mission and did not agree with Nazi policies; he was one of the few officers who refused to give the Nazi salute when Hitler visited Bismarck before its first and final mission, deliberately using instead the traditional naval salute.[12]
Lütjens also wore by choice the dirk of the Kaiserliche Marine, rather than the more modern Kriegsmarine dirk which bore a swastika. The film also makes a mistake in the sequence of events aboard Bismarck, showing Lütjens ordering Captain Ernst Lindemann to open fire on Hood and Prince of Wales. In the event, Lütjens actually ordered Lindemann to avoid engaging Hood, but Lindemann disobeyed and ordered the ship's gun crews to open fire on Hood and Prince of Wales.
[edit] Promotions
- 03.04.1907: Seekadett
- 21.08.1908: Fähnrich zur See
- 28.09.1910: Leutnant zur See
- 27.09.1913: Oberleutnant zur See
- 24.05.1917: Kapitänleutnant
- 01.04.1926: Korvettenkapitän
- 01.10.1931: Fregattenkapitän
- 01.07.1933: Kapitän zur See
- 01.10.1937: Konteradmiral
- 01.01.1940: Vizeadmiral
- 01.09.1940: Admiral
[edit] Relevant commands
- 16.09.1934-23.09.1935: Commander of the light cruiser Karlsruhe.
- 24.09.1935-15.03.1936: Chief of Staff Naval Group North in Wilhelmshaven.
- 16.03.1936-07.10.1937: Chief of the officer Personnel Branch at Naval Headquarters (Marinepersonalamt. MPA) in Berlin.
- 08.10.1937-20.10.1939: Commander of Torpedo Boats (Führer der Torpedoboote. F.d.T.).
- 21.10.1939-??.04.1940: Commander of Reconnaissance forces (Befehlshaber der Aufklärungsstreitkräfte. B.d.A.).
- 11.03.1940-23.04.1940: Deputy Chief of Fleet (Flottenchef i.V.).
- 18.06.1940-07.07.1940: Deputy Chief of Fleet (Flottenchef i.V.).
- 08.07.1940-27.05.1941: Chief of Fleet (Flottenchef).
[edit] References
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Günther Lütjens |
[edit] Bibliography
- ^ a b c d Bismarck: A portrait of the Men Involved
- ^ Donitz 1958 (1997 reprint), pp. 6-7.
- ^ Operation Berlin
- ^ Dönitz 1958 (1997), pp. 167-168.
- ^ Ballard 1990, p. 78.
- ^ Jackson 2002, p. 90.
- ^ Ballard 1990, p.104.
- ^ Jackson 2002, p. 91.
- ^ Jackson 2002, p.91.
- ^ Jackson 2002, p. 49.
- ^ [See: Bekker, Cajus, Hitler's Naval War, Zebra Books, New York NY, 1977, and Mullenheim-Rechberg, Baron Burkard von, Battleship Bismarck, Naval Institute Press, Annapolis MD, 1980 [3rd Printing, with corrections, 1985]; Mullenheim-Rechberg was the highest ranking officer to be rescued by the English and therefore survive the sinking)
- ^ Ballard 1990, p. 32
- Bismarck: Portrait of the Men Involved
- Admiral Günther Lutjens
- Günther Lütjens
- collection of links to Günther Lütjens
- Maritime Quest - Admiral Günther Lütjens
- Scharnhorst and Gneisenau: Operation Berlin
- Ballard, Robert (2007). Robert Ballard's Bismarck: Germany's greatest battleship surrenders her secrets. Chartwell Books. ISBN 978-0785822059
- Dönitz, Karl. Ten Years and Twenty Days. Da Capo Press: New York. ISBN 0-306-80764-5
- Jackson, Robert . The Bismarck. Weapons of War: London, 2002. ISBN 1-86227-173-9
| Military offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Admiral Wilhelm Marschall |
Chief of Fleet of the Kriegsmarine 11 March 1940 – 23 April 1940 (acting) 18 June 1940 – 7 July 1940 (acting) July 1940 – 27 May 1941 |
Succeeded by Generaladmiral Otto Schniewind |
