Maltzahn was born on 20 October 1910 in Wodarg, present-day a borough of Werder in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, at the time a Province of Pomerania as part of the German Empire.

[Note 2] His father was the youngest child of Helmuth von Maltzahn, a German finance minister and a representative in the Reichstag.

[4] Aged eleven, Maltzahn attended the Lilienthal-Gymnasium [de], a secondary school, where he graduated with his Abitur (diploma).

[8] World War II in Europe began on Friday, 1 September 1939, when German forces invaded Poland.

[10] On 30 September, flying his 16th combat mission of the war, Maltzahn claimed his first aerial victory when he shot down a French Potez 630 bomber.

He then walked to Düdelsheim, present-day part of Büdingen, where he was taken to Count Karl-Friedrich of Isenburg where he spent the night.

During the campaign, JG 53 was subordinated to Luftflotte 3 (Air Fleet 3) commanded by General der Flieger Hugo Sperrle.

[13] That day, Maltzahn was awarded the Iron Cross 1st Class (Eisernes Kreuz erster Klasse).

[6] On 15 May, his Bf 109 E-3 (Werknummer 1347—factory number) suffered undercarriage failure during landing at Dockendorf, nearly destroying the aircraft.

[15] On 22 June, the Gruppe moved to Dinan, located approximately 30 kilometers (19 miles) northwest of Rennes.

On 8 August 1940, during an attack on Convoy Peewit, Maltzahn claimed an aerial victory over a Supermarine Spitfire fighter.

The following day, Maltzahn shot down a Hawker Hurricane fighter while escorting Luftwaffe bombers returning from an attack on London.

[19] On 7 September, the Luftwaffe shifted their attacks towards London, systematically bombing the city in what was dubbed The Blitz.

[21] On two separate missions flown on 27 September, he claimed two further Spitfire fighters shot down, taking his total to ten aerial victories.

[27] The Geschwaderstab of JG 53 was withdrawn from the Channel Front on 21 December 1940 and transferred to Köln-Butzweilerhof Airfield for a period of rest and replenishment.

[32] JG 53 was finally withdrawn from the Channel Front on 8 June 1941 and ordered to Mannheim-Sandhofen Airfield in preparation of Operation Barbarossa, the German invasion of the Soviet Union.

He received radiation therapy at the Charité in Berlin and remained free of further symptoms until the end of World War II.

In 1943, Maltzahn became part of the inner circle of Enno von Rintelen, the German military attaché in Italy.

[38] On 4 October 1943, Maltzahn was relieved of his position as Geschwaderkommodore of JG 53 and posted to the staff of Luftwaffenbefehlshaber Mitte under the command of Generaloberst Hubert Weise, a predecessor of Luftflotte Reich.

[39] The commander of Luftflotte 2 (Air Fleet 2), Generalfeldmarschall Wolfram Freiherr von Richthofen, had unsuccessfully tried to retain Maltzahn in Italy.

[44] Following surgery in 1951, he lived in Bonn and worked for the "Amt Blank", a forerunner of the Ministry of Defence, on the reconstruction of the German Air Force, at the time referred to as the Bundesluftwaffe.

[48] Obermaier also lists him with 68 aerial victories claimed in 497 combat missions, 34 on the Eastern Front and further 34 over the Western Allies, including one four-engined heavy bomber.