Rubuta ci gaba ga wannan sakin layi - An haife shi a ranar 20 ga Agusta, 1893, an gabatar da Rackow a cikin Cadet Corps a farkon rayuwarsa. Ya shiga rundunar sojojin Paderborn ta 158 na rundunar sojojin Paderborn a matsayin "Fahnenjunker" (ma'aikacin jami'in) a shekarar 1912. A lokacin da Yaƙin Duniya na I ya ɓarke a shekara ta 1914, ya zama laftana na biyu. Rackow ya shiga cikin mamayewar Jamus ta farko a Belgium da Faransa. Ya yi aiki tare da bambanci a matsayin mai taimakawa, yana fada a Charleroi
, St. Quentin, da kuma shiga cikin Yaƙin farko na Marne, Yaƙin farko na Aisne, da Yaƙin farko na Artois. A watan Satumbar 1915, an nada shi kwamandan na 158 na Paderborn Infantry Regiment na kamfanin 3. Tare da wannan rukunin, ya shiga cikin Yaƙin Champagne na biyu wanda ya ji rauni sau biyu. A cikin shari'ar farko, wani shrapnel ya buge shi a ƙafarsa ta dama, amma ya ci gaba da yaƙi, kawai don ya ji rauni sosai a arewacin Le Mesnil kwana uku bayan haka. An kwantar da shi a asibiti, kuma ya koma kamfanin na 3 a watan Fabrairun 1916.