Wolfgang Lotz was born in Mannheim, Germany in 1921. In 1937 Lotz and his mother emigrated to Palestine Mandate, where they settled in Tel Aviv. In World War II he was recruited into the British Army, where he joined an intelligence unit. After the war he was involved in smuggling weapons for the Haganah. In the War of Independence Lotz joined the IDF as a captain and by the end held the rank of major. After this he joined Mossad and was sent to Egypt.