Max Wolff was born in Rio Negro, Paraná, Brazil. He enlisted in 1930 in the city of Curitiba, joining the 15th Hunters Battalion. He served in the Revolution of 1930 and the Constitutionalist Revolution against the Paulistas. During World War II, he was a member of the Brazilian Expeditionary Force, under the command of the US 5th Army. He arrived in Italy in September 1944 and led over 30 patrols.