After World War II he joined the Bundeswehr in 1957 and served as the first commander of the III Corps until his retirement in 1960.

Lüttwitz was born on 23 December 1895 in Straßburg (now Strasbourg) into a family with a long history of military service.

His father, a recipient of the Pour le Mérite, was one of the most highly decorated generals of the German Empire.

He returned to front line duty in 1918 as an adjutant with the Darmstädter Dragoner in the temporary occupation of Ukraine and southern Russia.

By the end of World War I, he had received both classes of the Iron Cross and the Wound Badge in Silver.

During the period of 1954 to 1957, he was the head business manager for the relief organization Order of St. John in Rolandseck.