Born in Basel, Switzerland, he became an extreme anti-Semite in his youth after reading the anti-Semitic philosophers Joseph Arthur Comte de Gobineau and Houston Stewart Chamberlain. He joined the German military and fought in World War I, twice being wounded, and ended the war as a 2nd Lieutenant. His departure from the prominent position led to rumors that Lippert had been executed. He instead joined the Wehrmacht and was transferred to Belgium where he became the commandant of Arlon in 1940. Lippert’s primary role in the war, however, was organizing radio propaganda in Belgrade.