Rattenhuber was born in Munich, where he made a career as a police officer. During World War I he served in the 16th and 13th Bavarian Infantry Regiments. He later joined the "Freikorps". On 15 March 1933 he was appointed head of one of Hitler's personal bodyguard units then known as the "Führerschutzkommando" (Führer protection command; FSK). His deputy was Peter Högl. Its original members were Bavarian criminal-police officers. They were charged with protecting the Führer only while he was inside the borders of Bavaria which was the area of their authority. In the spring of 1934, the "Führerschutzkommando" replaced the "SS-Begleitkommando" for Hitler's overall protection throughout Germany.