Surviving sources allow only a limited account of Lutjens's relationship with the Nazi regime. He may initially have accepted the new government in the hope of greater defence funding and German recovery. In November 1938 he joined a small group of flag officers and other naval officers who protested the anti-Jewish pogroms in writing to Raeder. As chief of personnel, he also appears to have delayed implementation of the Nuremberg Laws within the navy. In this interpretation, loyalty to fellow sailors took precedence over racial categories or party ideology. His opposition to replacing destroyer names with numbers likewise rested on the belief that names made ships and crews less disposable. Deutschland's recall illustrates the political anxiety attached to losing a prominently named ship. These episodes support a distinction between naval patriotism and party loyalty, while leaving the extent of his political opposition uncertain.
Notable Point · 51:55-58:45
Personnel policy, Nazi pressure, and destroyer identity
Lutjens's protest against anti-Jewish violence and his defence of named destroyers suggest a strong loyalty to sailors and the naval service.