Giinther Luetzow was born in Kiel, northern Germany on September 4,1912 - the son of Admiral Friedrich and Hildegard Liitzow - and was the third of five children. His father had joined the German Imperial Navy as a cadet in 1899 and during World War One served with distinction on warships, including taking charge of the small cruiser Hamburg and submarines. By the end of the war he was leading U-Flotille Pola (U-boat Flotilla Pola). However, 'Franzl', as Giinther was also known, did not follow his father into the navy, rather joining the infantry as a junior officer in August 1930. He began flying training the following year at the Deutsche Verkehrsfliegerrschule (German aviation school) at Schleissheim. His brothers did join the Kriegsmarine, though, Werner being killed in action as the head of 4.Schnellboot-Flottille on November 24,1943 while Joachim survived the war, having supervised a minesweeper. While still serving as an infantry junior officer, Giinther undertook fighter pilot training in 1931 at a secret facility at Lipetsk, Russia. Three years later he transferred to the Luftwaffe proper, joining the Reklamestaffel in Doberitz - a cover name for Jagdgeschwader 132 (JG 132 - fighter wing 132) - as an instructor and after this he taught at the Jagdfliegerschule (JFS -fighter school) at Schleissheim. In 1936 Liitzow became adjutant of JG 132 with the rank of Oberleutnant and later that year it is believed he took command of the Geschwader's 4th Staffel (squadron).
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