Gerhardt Lutjens son of Admiral Lutjens

[stancber]

I am doing some personal research on the Bismarck. Does anyone happen to know if Admiral Lutjens son Gerhardt is still living? And if so does anyone have a good mailing address for him in Germany? I have some questions about his father that I would like to present to him.

By the by, Admiral Lutjens grandmother was Jewish. Does anyone happen to know which side of the family, mothers or fathers.

Cheers
Doc Ben Stancati

[RF]

I don't know whether Jose or Malte Gack has any of that information, failing that your best bet I think is to contact the German naval attache at the German embassy in your country.

[tommy303]

Gerhardt Lutjens was interviewed a number of years back for the David Mearns documentary on the expedition to find the wreck of the Hood. You might try:

http://www.italysoft.com/utility/teleph ... rmany.html

[stancber]

Thanks for the help.
BS

[justdancin]

My grandfather was Gunther's younger brother. The Jewish ancestry was on the maternal side, ie. my great-great-aunt Anna was half Jewish. They left Germany in the early 1900's with what they could carry on their backs, destroying all birth, death and marriage records, with the exception of a 200-year-old family Bible. Gunther stayed behind to cover their tracks intending to follow behind. He was caught and given little choice... death or inscription into the German Navy. He was never allowed to further those dreams of being reunited with his family, as he was continually watched. Letters throughout the 1920's & into the 30's verified this, while becoming more pessimistic towards the political and immoral aspects of his homeland. He sacrificed his life to aide his family and never 'gave them up' to the pressure that was bestowed upon him by the Reich, whose intent was to set an example with a very affluent family... namely mine. He died without ever revealing their whereabouts... My grandfather considered him to be a hero... not to discredit him... He fought honorably in WWI on behalf of the United States, as did my father in WWII. Had circumstances been different, I've no doubt that Gunther would have been right beside Grandpa on the side of the Allies.

D. Lutjens

[justdancin]

By the way, if you should find any of my relatives still in Germany, I am trying to track them down as well. My son is stationed at Ramstein AFB, Germany and we intend to look for them when I go over to visit. Ironically, he looks just like Gunther and is frequently mistaken for being a German resident by locals and officials... he is studying German because someone is always starting a conversation which he can't understand. Thank you.

D. Lutjens

[hammy]

I dont quite understand this . Your Grandfather was Gunter Lutjens younger brother , and your grandfather left Germany in the 1900s ? or is that a typing error ?
There were many Jewish and part Jewish officers in all the German services during the Kaisers war , the air ace Werner Voss comes immediately to my mind , but there were hundreds if not thousands more , Indeed many of these men would end up in the Nazi camps later , their commission document and medals in their suitcases , there are a number of witness accounts of such cases .

It is from catholic Austria that most of the anti-semitism seems to have initially sprung , certainly many of the Final Solution's leading active players were Austrians by origin , and the latterday Mr Georg Haider's appearance on the political scene in the "new" Austria in recent times had British ears pricked for the renewed stamp of jackboots for a while .

I also dont understand your reference to a choice between "Conscription into the Kriegsmarine or Death" as being the options offered to Gunter Lutjens .
Km officers were selected pre-war from volunteers , trained as cadets , then the standard route of midshipman , Leutnant , and so on up the long command tree .
I cant see anyone whose loyalties would even be suspected of being possibly divided , being given any high command position , still less major operational command at the outset of a war by a bunch of paranoid thugs like dear Adi and the rest of them . I cant see it , sorry .

[RF]

No, it doesn't make much sense to me either.

Especially as Lutjens commanded light cruiser ''show the flag'' operations in the mid 1930's, including visits to the USA, where amongst other activities he was invited to address the Texas state Congress. Hardly the behaviour of a supposed political dissident.....

[RF]

It is from catholic Austria that most of the anti-semitism seems to have initially sprung , certainly many of the Final Solution's leading active players were Austrians by origin , and the latterday Mr Georg Haider's appearance on the political scene in the "new" Austria in recent times had British ears pricked for the renewed stamp of jackboots for a while .

(

This is something that grew up in the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and echoed in Germany under Wilhelm ii. And of course Hitler himself was Austrian.

[tommy303]

I cant see anyone whose loyalties would even be suspected of being possibly divided , being given any high command position , still less major operational command at the outset of a war by a bunch of paranoid thugs like dear Adi and the rest of them . I cant see it , sorry .

Even more to the point, I don't think he would have been appointed to the all important KM personnel office, which oversaw officer selection, assignment, and promotion, if he was at all suspect. To a very real degree, Luetjens, as head of this office was the guiding hand for the officer corps of the rapidly expanding Kriegsmarine. At any rate, his naval service began in 1907 when he entered the Imperial Navy as a cadet. He was well decorated as a torpedo boat and destroyer commander in WW1 and appears to have been quite highly thought of as a professional naval officer.

[J.J. Leutgens]

My Grandfather was Eno Leutgens also a brother of Gunther. Never got to talk with him much about his older brother. My grandfather was also a Naturlized US Citizen int early 20's. They settled in southern Tennesse near Chattanooga a small town called Jasper which iwhere my father was born. His father came over around 1915 best that I understand.

[RF]

Hello and welcome to the forum.

Can I ask, if I may, was the ''never got to talk'' simply a lack of opportunity to ask or was there a reticence to discuss what would be sensitive matters?