Günter Luther (17 March 1922 – 31 May 1997) was a German

admiral Admiral is one of the highest ranks in many navies. In the Commonwealth nations and the United States, a "full" admiral is equivalent to a "full" general in the army or the air force. Admiral is ranked above vice admiral and below admiral of ...

who became

Inspector of the Navy The Inspector of the Navy () is the commander of the Navy of the modern-day German Armed Forces, the Bundeswehr. Since the various bodies responsible for the high command of the German Navy were merged in 2012, the Inspector has been based at th ...

and

Deputy Supreme Allied Commander Europe The Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR) is the commander of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization's (NATO) Allied Command Operations (ACO) and head of ACO's headquarters, Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE). The commander is ...

for

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO ; , OTAN), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental organization, intergovernmental Transnationalism, transnational military alliance of 32 Member states of NATO, member s ...

. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, he served as a military pilot in the

Kriegsmarine The (, ) was the navy of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It superseded the Imperial German Navy of the German Empire (1871–1918) and the inter-war (1919–1935) of the Weimar Republic. The was one of three official military branch, branche ...

and a

paratrooper A paratrooper or military parachutist is a soldier trained to conduct military operations by parachuting directly into an area of operations, usually as part of a large airborne forces unit. Traditionally paratroopers fight only as light infa ...

in the

Luftwaffe The Luftwaffe () was the aerial warfare, aerial-warfare branch of the before and during World War II. German Empire, Germany's military air arms during World War I, the of the Imperial German Army, Imperial Army and the of the Imperial Ge ...

. After the war, he joined the newly founded West German ''

Bundesmarine The German Navy (, ) is part of the unified (Federal Defense), the German Armed Forces. The German Navy was originally known as the ''Bundesmarine'' (Federal Navy) from 1956 to 1995, when ''Deutsche Marine'' (German Navy) became the official ...

'' in 1956.

Personal life

Günter Luther was born in

Bestwig Bestwig is a municipality in the Hochsauerland district, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Geography Bestwig is situated on the river Ruhr (river), Ruhr, approx. 10 km east of Meschede. It lies on the German Autobahn Bundesautobahn 46, A 46 ...

on 17 March 1922, the son of a teacher who came from a family of artisans. He completed his secondary education and took his ''

Abitur ''Abitur'' (), often shortened colloquially to ''Abi'', is a qualification granted at the end of secondary education in Germany. It is conferred on students who pass their final exams at the end of ISCED 3, usually after twelve or thirteen year ...

'' in 1939. In 1947 he married his wife Christel, who died in 1995. He died on 31 May 1997 in

Kiel Kiel ( ; ) is the capital and most populous city in the northern Germany, German state of Schleswig-Holstein. With a population of around 250,000, it is Germany's largest city on the Baltic Sea. It is located on the Kieler Förde inlet of the Ba ...

from a heart condition, whilst returning from a reunion at the wheel of his car.

Career

World War II

After taking his Abitur, Luther joined the ''

'' as an officer candidate in December 1939. He completed his nautical training on the training ship '' Gorch Fock'' and the battleship , and his military schooling at

Naval Academy Mürwik A navy, naval force, military maritime fleet, war navy, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations ...

and the naval artillery school in Kiel. His training also included half a year on the frontline on the minesweeper ''M-1'' in Norwegian waters. He planned to train as a

naval aviator Naval aviation / Aeronaval is the application of military air power by navies, whether from warships that embark aircraft, or land bases. It often involves '' navalised aircraft'', specifically designed for naval use. Seaborne aviation encompas ...

. Luther volunteered to be a

forward observer An artillery observer, artillery spotter, or forward observer (FO) is a soldier responsible for directing artillery and mortar fire support onto a target. An artillery observer usually accompanies a tank or infantry unit. Spotters ensure that ...

. To complete this training he had to exchange his Kriegsmarine uniform for that of the Luftwaffe. Luther was commissioned as a

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a Junior officer, junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, Security agency, security services ...

(''Leutnant'') on 1 April 1942. He served as a pilot in the Coastal Aviation Squadrons 1/906 and 1/706. He flew 160 missions over the

North Sea The North Sea lies between Great Britain, Denmark, Norway, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, and France. A sea on the European continental shelf, it connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the English Channel in the south and the Norwegian Se ...

and

Arctic Ocean The Arctic Ocean is the smallest and shallowest of the world's five oceanic divisions. It spans an area of approximately and is the coldest of the world's oceans. The International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) recognizes it as an ocean, ...

. In May 1944, he was shot down with his aircraft over the sea. By then a first lieutenant (''

Oberleutnant (English: First Lieutenant) is a senior lieutenant Officer (armed forces), officer rank in the German (language), German-speaking armed forces of Germany (Bundeswehr), the Austrian Armed Forces, and the Swiss Armed Forces. In Austria, ''Oberle ...

''), he volunteered to join the Luftwaffe's parachute troops, the

Fallschirmjäger The () were the airborne forces branch of the Luftwaffe before and during World War II. They were the first paratroopers to be committed in large-scale airborne operations. They were commanded by Kurt Student, the Luftwaffe's second-in-comman ...

. As company commander in the 9th Fallschirmjäger Regiment (part of the 3rd Parachute Division), he fought in the

Ardennes Offensive The Ardennes ( ; ; ; ; ), also known as the Ardennes Forest or Forest of Ardennes, is a region of extensive forests, rough terrain, rolling hills and ridges primarily in Belgium and Luxembourg, extending into Germany and France. Geological ...

, in the Ruhr Pocket, and at the battle of Hürtgenwald. Luther became an American prisoner on 28 April 1945, and was freed in December 1945.

After the war

Luther earned his living in the aftermath of the war as a construction worker. This was followed by studying English at a university, which enabled him to take jobs as an interpreter and personnel manager for the American armed forces. From 1952 to 1956, he worked for the

Agfa Agfa-Gevaert N.V. (Agfa) is a Belgian-German multinational corporation that develops, manufactures, and distributes Analog photography, analogue and digital imaging products, software, and systems. The company began as a dye manufacturer in 1867 ...

camera company, as a clerk and export group leader.

Bundeswehr

On 1 March 1956 Luther joined the newly founded

Navy A navy, naval force, military maritime fleet, war navy, or maritime force is the military branch, branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval warfare, naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral z ...

of West Germany's new military, the

Bundeswehr The (, ''Federal Defence'') are the armed forces of the Germany, Federal Republic of Germany. The is divided into a military part (armed forces or ''Streitkräfte'') and a civil part, the military part consists of the four armed forces: Germ ...

, as a ''

Kapitänleutnant , short: KptLt/in lists: KL, ( or ''lieutenant captain'') is an officer grade of the captains' military hierarchy group () of the modern German . The rank is rated Ranks and insignia of NATO navies' officers, OF-2 in NATO, and equivalent to i ...

'' (captain lieutenant). Initially, he considered serving in the

German Air Force The German Air Force (, ) is the aerial warfare branch of the , the armed forces of Germany. The German Air Force (as part of the ) was founded in 1956 during the era of the Cold War as the aerial warfare branch of the armed forces of West Ger ...

instead. He trained as a jet pilot for the

Hawker Sea Hawk The Hawker Sea Hawk is a British single-seat jet day fighter formerly of the Fleet Air Arm (FAA), the air branch of the Royal Navy (RN), built by Hawker Aircraft and its sister company, Armstrong Whitworth Aircraft. Although its design originat ...

in the United Kingdom, and in September 1958 assumed command of the 1st Multipurpose Squadron of Naval Air Group 1. In 1960, he joined the higher command of the Navy with responsibility for the operational planning for

naval aviation Naval aviation / Aeronaval is the application of Military aviation, military air power by Navy, navies, whether from warships that embark aircraft, or land bases. It often involves ''navalised aircraft'', specifically designed for naval use. Seab ...

. In 1962 he was promoted to ''

Korvettenkapitän (; ) is the lowest ranking Field officer, senior officer in the German navy. Germany Korvettenkapitän, short: KKpt/in lists: KK, () is the lowest senior officer military rank, rank () in the German Navy. Address The official manner, in li ...

'' (lieutenant commander) and made commander of the Navy's Flying Group 1. He continued to lead the squadron until 1968, receiving promotions to ''

Fregattenkapitän () is the middle ranking senior officer in a number of Germanic-speaking navies. Austro-Hungary Belgium Germany , short: FKpt / in lists: FK, is the middle Senior officer military rank, rank () in the German Navy. It is the equivalent o ...

'' (commander) and ''

Kapitän zur See Captain is the name most often given in English-speaking navies to the rank corresponding to command of the largest ships. The rank is equal to the army rank of colonel and air force rank of group captain. Equivalent ranks worldwide include ...

'' (captain). He then served as the head of the department for naval aviation at the

Ministry of Defence A ministry of defence or defense (see American and British English spelling differences#-ce.2C -se, spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is the part of a government responsible for matters of defence and Mi ...

. Luther successfully lobbied for the Navy to switch directly from the Starfighter to the

Tornado A tornado is a violently rotating column of air that is in contact with the surface of Earth and a cumulonimbus cloud or, in rare cases, the base of a cumulus cloud. It is often referred to as a twister, whirlwind or cyclone, although the ...

, without the intermediate introduction of the

Phantom Phantom, phantoms, or the phantom may refer to: * Spirit (metaphysics), the vital principle or animating force within all living things ** Ghost, the soul or spirit of a dead person or animal that can appear to the living Aircraft * Boeing Phanto ...

that occurred in the air force. He himself trained as a Starfighter pilot and flew this type of aircraft regularly. With his promotion to ''

Flottillenadmiral Flotilla admiral is the lowest flag rank, a rank above captain, in the modern navies of Belgium, Bulgaria, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Sweden and Lithuania. It corresponds to the rank of commodore in the navies of the United Kingdom and certai ...

'' (flotilla admiral) on 1 October 1970 he became the youngest admiral of the German Navy at 48 years old, and was given the command of the Flotilla of Naval Aviation in Kiel-Holtenau. There he had command of around 7,500 men and over 200 aircraft. On 1 April 1972 he became commander of the German Navy in the

and simultaneously NATO commander in the North Sea and

Skagerrak The Skagerrak (; , , ) is a strait running between the North Jutlandic Island of Denmark, the east coast of Norway and the west coast of Sweden, connecting the North Sea and the Kattegat sea. The Skagerrak contains some of the busiest shipping ...

. In October 1972 he was promoted to ''

Konteradmiral (; abbreviated KAdm) is a senior naval flag officer rank in several German-speaking countries, equivalent to counter or rear admiral. Austria-Hungary In the Austro-Hungarian '' K.u.K. Kriegsmarine'' (1849 to 1918) there were the flag of ...

'' (rear admiral) and took up the position of chief of the ''

Marineamt The Navy Office () was a higher command within the German Navy, founded in 1965 and disestablished in 2012. Its original responsibility was training, education and armaments planning for the German Navy. It was situated at Wilhelmshaven until it ...

'' in

Wilhelmshaven Wilhelmshaven (, ''Wilhelm's Harbour''; Northern Low Saxon: ''Willemshaven'') is a coastal town in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated on the western side of the Jade Bight, a bay of the North Sea, and has a population of 76,089. Wilhelmsha ...

. On 1 April 1975 he was promoted to ''

Vizeadmiral (; abbreviated VAdm) is a senior naval flag officer rank in several German-speaking countries, equivalent to Vice admiral. Austria-Hungary In the Austro-Hungarian Navy there were the flag-officer ranks ''Kontreadmiral'' (also spelled ''Ko ...

'' (vice admiral) and made Inspector of the Navy, i.e. the commander-in-chief of the German Navy. On 1 April 1980, Luther was promoted to the rank of

Admiral Admiral is one of the highest ranks in many navies. In the Commonwealth nations and the United States, a "full" admiral is equivalent to a "full" general in the army or the air force. Admiral is ranked above vice admiral and below admiral of ...

, and took up the NATO post of Deputy Supreme Allied Commander Europe (DSACEUR) at the

Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe The Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE) is the military headquarters of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization's (NATO) Allied Command Operations (ACO) that commands all NATO operations worldwide. SHAPE is situated in the villag ...

. On 31 March 1982, Admiral Günter Luther retired from service and moved to Kiel.

References

External links

*
Inspekteure der Marine
(Bundesarchiv) *
Inspekteure der Marine
(German Navy official website) {{DEFAULTSORT:Luther, Gunter 1922 births 1997 deaths Kriegsmarine personnel Admirals of the German Navy Recipients of the Iron Cross (1939), 1st class Fallschirmjäger of World War II German World War II pilots People from Hochsauerlandkreis NATO military personnel German prisoners of war in World War II held by the United States Grand Crosses with Star and Sash of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany Chiefs of Navy (Germany) Military personnel from North Rhine-Westphalia