Josef Leopold (18 February 1889 – 24 July 1941) was the
Nazi Party
The Nazi Party, officially the National Socialist German Workers' Party ( or NSDAP), was a far-right politics, far-right political party in Germany active between 1920 and 1945 that created and supported the ideology of Nazism. Its precursor ...
''
Gauleiter
A ''Gauleiter'' () was a regional leader of the Nazi Party (NSDAP) who served as the head of a ''Administrative divisions of Nazi Germany, Gau'' or ''Reichsgau''. ''Gauleiter'' was the third-highest Ranks and insignia of the Nazi Party, rank in ...
'' of
Lower Austria
Lower Austria ( , , abbreviated LA or NÖ) is one of the nine states of Austria, located in the northeastern corner of the country. Major cities are Amstetten, Lower Austria, Amstetten, Krems an der Donau, Wiener Neustadt and Sankt Pölten, which ...
from 1927 to 1938, as well as the Party's ''Landesleiter'' (state leader) and the head of the ''
Sturmabteilung
The (; SA; or 'Storm Troopers') was the original paramilitary organisation under Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party of Germany. It played a significant role in Adolf Hitler's rise to power, Hitler's rise to power in the 1920s and early 1930s. I ...
'' (SA) for all of
Austria
Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...
from 1935 to 1938. He belonged to the faction within
Austrian Nazism that supported an independent Austrian Nazi state rather than a union with Germany.
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler (20 April 1889 – 30 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was the dictator of Nazi Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his suicide in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the lea ...
removed him from office just before the ''
Anschluss
The (, or , ), also known as the (, ), was the annexation of the Federal State of Austria into Nazi Germany on 12 March 1938.
The idea of an (a united Austria and Germany that would form a "German Question, Greater Germany") arose after t ...
'' with Germany. At the outbreak of the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, Leopold joined the
German Army
The German Army (, 'army') is the land component of the armed forces of Federal Republic of Germany, Germany. The present-day German Army was founded in 1955 as part of the newly formed West German together with the German Navy, ''Marine'' (G ...
and was killed during
the invasion of the Soviet Union.
Early life and military career
Leopold was born in
Langenlois, in the rural
Waldviertel
The ''Waldviertel'' (; ; Central Bavarian: ; ) is the northwestern region of the Austrian state of Lower Austria. It is bounded to the south by the river Danube, to the southwest by Upper Austria, to the northwest and to the north by the Czech ...
region of
Lower Austria
Lower Austria ( , , abbreviated LA or NÖ) is one of the nine states of Austria, located in the northeastern corner of the country. Major cities are Amstetten, Lower Austria, Amstetten, Krems an der Donau, Wiener Neustadt and Sankt Pölten, which ...
, and attended ''
Volksschule
The German term ''Volksschule'' () generally refers to compulsory education, denoting an educational institution every person (i.e. the people, ''Volk'') is required to attend.
In Germany and Switzerland it is equivalent to a combined primar ...
'' there until 1904. After one year of study at a specialized fruit and
viticulture
Viticulture (, "vine-growing"), viniculture (, "wine-growing"), or winegrowing is the cultivation and harvesting of grapes. It is a branch of the science of horticulture. While the native territory of ''Vitis vinifera'', the common grape vine ...
school, he worked on his father's small farm. Leopold then decided on a military career, joining the 49th Infantry Regiment of the
Austro-Hungarian Army
The Austro-Hungarian Army, also known as the Imperial and Royal Army,; was the principal ground force of Austria-Hungary from 1867 to 1918. It consisted of three organisations: the Common Army (, recruited from all parts of Austria-Hungary), ...
on 7 October 1910. Following the outbreak of the
First World War
World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
, he served as a platoon leader with the rank of ''
Stabsfeldwebel
''Stabsfeldwebel '' (StFw or SF; ) is the second highest Non-commissioned officer (NCO) rank in German Army and German Air Force. It is grouped as OR-8 in NATO, equivalent to a First Sergeant in the United States Army, and to Warrant Office ...
'', and saw action on the
eastern front until 1 August 1915, when he was captured by forces of the
Imperial Russian Army
The Imperial Russian Army () was the army of the Russian Empire, active from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was organized into a standing army and a state militia. The standing army consisted of Regular army, regular troops and ...
. He was sent to
Siberia
Siberia ( ; , ) is an extensive geographical region comprising all of North Asia, from the Ural Mountains in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east. It has formed a part of the sovereign territory of Russia and its predecessor states ...
as a
prisoner of war
A prisoner of war (POW) is a person held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610.
Belligerents hold prisoners of war for a ...
where he remained until February 1918 when he escaped, returning to Austria.
Leopold became an instructor of new recruits in Vienna and, after the end of the war, he remained in military service with the ''
Volkswehr''. Following the reorganisation of the military after the establishment of the republic, he was retained in the newly renamed ''Bundesheer'' and attended the military school at
Enns. Commissioned as a ''
Leutnant
() is the lowest junior officer rank in the armed forces of Germany ( Bundeswehr), the Austrian Armed Forces, and the military of Switzerland.
History
The German noun (with the meaning "" (in English "deputy") from Middle High German «locum ...
'' in March 1919, he was assigned to the 6th Infantry Regiment in July 1920, based in
Krems an der Donau
Krems an der Donau (, ) is a city in Lower Austria, Austria. With a population of 24,821, it is the 20th-largest city of Austria and fifth-largest of Lower Austria. It is approximately west of Vienna. Krems is a city with its own statute (or '' ...
. He became its training officer in August 1923, where he remained until 1925. By 1927, he was promoted to ''
Oberleutnant
(English: First Lieutenant) is a senior lieutenant Officer (armed forces), officer rank in the German (language), German-speaking armed forces of Germany (Bundeswehr), the Austrian Armed Forces, and the Swiss Armed Forces. In Austria, ''Oberle ...
'' and assigned as an artillery officer in a mountain howitzer battery. Advanced to the rank of ''
Hauptmann
() is an officer rank in the armies of Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. It is usually translated as ''captain''.
Background
While in contemporary German means 'main', it also has, and originally had, the meaning of 'head', i.e. ' literall ...
'' in January 1931, he became the commander of the 1st ''
Feldjäger'' Battalion on 1 July 1931.
Entry into politics
Leopold's initial involvement in politics came in December 1918 when he joined the
Social Democratic Party of Austria
The Social Democratic Party of Austria ( , SPÖ) is a social democratic political party in Austria. Founded in 1889 as the Social Democratic Workers' Party of Austria (, SDAPÖ) and later known as the Socialist Party of Austria () from 1945 unt ...
. However, by March 1919 he had switched sides to join
Walter Riehl's and he became a convinced activist in the party after hearing
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler (20 April 1889 – 30 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was the dictator of Nazi Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his suicide in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the lea ...
speak at Krems in 1920. Leopold quickly rose through the Party ranks, from ''
Ortsgruppenleiter'' in Krems in 1924 to ''
Kreisleiter'' of the Waldviertel district in 1925 and, by September 1926, he formally joined the Nazi Party (membership number 50,416) and was made leader of the ''
Sturmabteilung
The (; SA; or 'Storm Troopers') was the original paramilitary organisation under Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party of Germany. It played a significant role in Adolf Hitler's rise to power, Hitler's rise to power in the 1920s and early 1930s. I ...
'' in Lower Austria, as well as Deputy ''
Gauleiter
A ''Gauleiter'' () was a regional leader of the Nazi Party (NSDAP) who served as the head of a ''Administrative divisions of Nazi Germany, Gau'' or ''Reichsgau''. ''Gauleiter'' was the third-highest Ranks and insignia of the Nazi Party, rank in ...
'' of that region. As an early member of the Party, he would later be awarded the
Golden Party Badge
__NOTOC__
The Golden Party Badge () was an award authorised by Adolf Hitler in a decree in October 1933. It was a special award given to all Nazi Party members who had, as of 9 November 1933, registered numbers from 1 to 100,000 (issued on 1 Oc ...
. On 29 August 1927, he was personally appointed by Hitler to the post of ''Gauleiter'' of Lower Austria. From 21 May 1932 to 23 June 1933, he was a member of the Lower Austrian ''
Landtag
A ''Landtag'' (State Diet) is generally the legislative assembly or parliament of a federated state or other subnational self-governing entity in German-speaking nations. It is usually a unicameral assembly exercising legislative competence ...
'' and leader of the Nazi faction in that body, as well as a member of the ''Landesrat'' (state council).
Leopold belonged to the pro-independence faction within Austrian Nazism and insisted that
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler (20 April 1889 – 30 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was the dictator of Nazi Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his suicide in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the lea ...
was only a spiritual leader rather than the future Austrian leader. Leopold's faction within Austrian Nazism was underground in nature and frequently launched terrorist attacks. His position as an extremist who supported independence meant that he clashed with the pro-
Greater Germany wing of
Theodor Habicht and the constitutional pro-independence wing under
Anton Reinthaller
Anton Reinthaller (14 April 1895 – 6 March 1958) was an Austrian politician active before and after the Second World War. After a career in Nazi Germany as an SS-''Brigadeführer'' and member of the '' Nazi Reichstag'', he was the inaugura ...
.
On 19 June 1933, 32 auxiliary policemen in Krems were wounded by hand grenades in a terrorist attack by Nazis, and the Austrian government of
Chancellor
Chancellor () is a title of various official positions in the governments of many countries. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the (lattice work screens) of a basilica (court hall), which separa ...
Engelbert Dollfuß responded by outlawing the Nazi Party in Austria. Leopold subsequently was removed from his positions in the ''Landtag'' and the ''Landesrat'', and he also was discharged from the Austrian Army on 31 August 1933. The only ''Gauleiter'' who refused to flee Austria, he was arrested on 16 September and held for investigation until 1 February 1934 when he was released for lack of evidence. Rearrested on 5 May of the same year, he was
interned
Internment is the imprisonment of people, commonly in large groups, without Criminal charge, charges or Indictment, intent to file charges. The term is especially used for the confinement "of enemy citizens in wartime or of terrorism suspects ...
in Wöllersdorf concentration camp until July.
Leadership of the Austrian Nazis
Leopold was appointed the ''Landesleiter'' of the banned Austrian Nazi Party on 29 January 1935 and the leader of all SA troops in Austria in June. However, he was again interned in Wöllersdorf later that month for distribution of propaganda pamphlets. Over a year later, on 11 July 1936, Hitler concluded an
agreement
Agreement may refer to:
Agreements between people and organizations
* Gentlemen's agreement, not enforceable by law
* Trade agreement, between countries
* Consensus (disambiguation), a decision-making process
* Contract, enforceable in a court of ...
with Chancellor
Kurt Schuschnigg
Kurt Alois Josef Johann von Schuschnigg (; 14 December 1897 – 18 November 1977) was an Austrian politician who was the Chancellor of Austria, Chancellor of the Federal State of Austria from the 1934 assassination of his predecessor Engelbert D ...
, recognising Austria's sovereignty and agreeing that Austrian National Socialism was a "domestic matter" over which Germany would exert no direct or indirect influence. In return, Austria agreed to an amnesty of imprisoned Nazis, and Leopold obtained his freedom on 23 July. Although officially still the party leader, Leopold found that during his time in prison much of the power within the party passed to
Friedrich Rainer and
Odilo Globocnik
Odilo Lothar Ludwig Globocnik (21 April 1904 – 31 May 1945) was a Nazi Party official from Austria and a perpetrator of the Holocaust. A high-ranking member of the SS, Globocnik was the leader of Operation Reinhard, the organized murder of ar ...
who, on Hitler's express instructions, were seeking to build alliances with more conservative leaders such as
Arthur Seyss-Inquart
Arthur Seyss-Inquart (; ; 22 July 1892 16 October 1946) was an Austrian Nazi politician who served as Chancellor of Austria in 1938 for two days before the ''Anschluss''. His positions in Nazi Germany included deputy governor to Hans Frank in t ...
and even Schuschnigg.
Later in 1936, Leopold began negotiating with Schuschnigg in an attempt to regain legal status for the Nazi Party. Leopold hoped through this to become part of a
coalition government
A coalition government, or coalition cabinet, is a government by political parties that enter into a power-sharing arrangement of the executive. Coalition governments usually occur when no single party has achieved an absolute majority after an ...
and to eventually form an independent Nazi government in Austria. He then sought to work more closely with other nationalist groups in order to come closer to his ideal of a Nazi Austria and, in this endeavour, won the backing of cabinet ministers
Edmund Glaise-Horstenau
Edmund Hugo Guilelmus Glaise von Horstenau (also known as Edmund Glaise-Horstenau; 27 February 1882 – 20 July 1946) was an Austrian Nazi politician who became the last vice-chancellor of Austria, appointed by Chancellor Kurt Schuschnigg under ...
and . Despite this, the talks with Schuschnigg came to nothing and Leopold's desires to see the Nazis recognised and to establish a coalition known as the were left unfulfilled. Indeed, Leopold came out of the negotiations badly, as not only were his plans to reconstitute the Nazi Party as part of the
Fatherland's Front made public, but he also failed to secure an offer of a cabinet post as he had hoped.
His failures in the negotiations and his pro-independence stance meant that Hitler did not trust Leopold, who he felt might use the SA to try to seize power on his own, perhaps by force. Therefore, he sent
Wilhelm Keppler to keep a watch on him in July 1937. However, Keppler was told by Leopold that he took orders from no one.
Heinrich Himmler
Heinrich Luitpold Himmler (; 7 October 1900 – 23 May 1945) was a German Nazism, Nazi politician and military leader who was the 4th of the (Protection Squadron; SS), a leading member of the Nazi Party, and one of the most powerful p ...
made him leader of the Austrian ''
Schutzstaffel
The ''Schutzstaffel'' (; ; SS; also stylised with SS runes as ''ᛋᛋ'') was a major paramilitary organisation under Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party in Nazi Germany, and later throughout German-occupied Europe during World War II.
It beg ...
'' in 1937, but he soon grew tired of the quarrelsome Leopold, who also had clashes with
Hermann Göring
Hermann Wilhelm Göring (or Goering; ; 12 January 1893 – 15 October 1946) was a German Nazism, Nazi politician, aviator, military leader, and convicted war criminal. He was one of the most powerful figures in the Nazi Party, which gov ...
,
Rudolf Hess
Rudolf Walter Richard Hess (Heß in German; 26 April 1894 – 17 August 1987) was a German politician, Nuremberg trials, convicted war criminal and a leading member of the Nazi Party in Nazi Germany, Germany. Appointed Deputy Führer ( ...
,
Franz von Papen
Franz Joseph Hermann Michael Maria von Papen, (; 29 October 18792 May 1969) was a German politician, diplomat, Prussian nobleman and army officer. A national conservative, he served as Chancellor of Germany in 1932, and then as Vice-Chancell ...
and his co-leader of the Austrian Nazis
Hermann Neubacher. While leading the Nazis in Vienna during 1938, Leopold boasted to
British Union of Fascists
The British Union of Fascists (BUF) was a British fascist political party formed in 1932 by Oswald Mosley. Mosley changed its name to the British Union of Fascists and National Socialists in 1936 and, in 1937, to the British Union. In 1939, f ...
representative
Robert Gordon-Canning that he was about to lead an uprising with Hitler's aid. However, the conversation was picked up by Schuschnigg who had Leopold's office raided, where documents relating to the coup plot were seized. Hitler finally dismissed Leopold as ''Landesleiter'' on 21 February 1938, on the pretext that he wanted Austrian Nazis to follow legality. Hitler, who had been due to hold talks with Schuschnigg, was especially annoyed that Leopold had launched a bombing campaign in the run-up to the meeting, and so acted quickly to remove him.
Career in Nazi Germany
Following the ''
Anschluss
The (, or , ), also known as the (, ), was the annexation of the Federal State of Austria into Nazi Germany on 12 March 1938.
The idea of an (a united Austria and Germany that would form a "German Question, Greater Germany") arose after t ...
'', Leopold was able to continue his career within the Nazi Party in Germany, despite his earlier support for an independent Austria. However, he never attained the level of leadership that he had wielded in Austria. He was considered for the role of ''Gauleiter'' of
Reichsgau Lower Danube, although this role went to
Hugo Jury instead. On 21 February 1938, Leopold was granted the title of Honorary ''Gauleiter''. At the
parliamentary election of 10 April, he was elected as a Nazi deputy to the ''
Reichstag'' from the newly renamed
Ostmark. On 23 May, he was appointed as a Party ''Reichsinspekteur'' in
Munich
Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...
on the staff of Deputy ''
Führer
( , spelled ''Fuehrer'' when the umlaut is unavailable) is a German word meaning "leader" or " guide". As a political title, it is strongly associated with Adolf Hitler, the dictator of Nazi Germany from 1933 to 1945. Hitler officially cal ...
'' Hess and promoted to the rank of SA-''
Gruppenführer
__NOTOC__
''Gruppenführer'' (, ) was an early paramilitary rank of the Nazi Party (NSDAP), first created in 1925 as a senior rank of the SA. Since then, the term ''Gruppenführer'' is also used for leaders of groups/teams of the police, fire d ...
''. This was followed on 1 June by his being named an honorary ''Führer'' of Vienna's SA-''Gruppe Donau''. On 30 January 1939, he was awarded the Nazi Party's
Blood Order
The Blood Order (), officially known as the Decoration in Memory of 9 November 1923 (), was one of the most prestigious decorations in the Nazi Party (NSDAP). During March 1934, Hitler authorized the Blood Order to commemorate the 9 November 1 ...
decoration.
Wartime service and death
On the outbreak of the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, Leopold volunteered for service in the
German Army
The German Army (, 'army') is the land component of the armed forces of Federal Republic of Germany, Germany. The present-day German Army was founded in 1955 as part of the newly formed West German together with the German Navy, ''Marine'' (G ...
. With the rank of ''
Oberstleutnant
() (English: Lieutenant Colonel) is a senior field officer rank in several German-speaking and Scandinavian countries, equivalent to lieutenant colonel. It is currently used by both the ground and air forces of Austria, Germany, Switzerland, ...
'', he commanded of a reserve battalion of Austrian troops in the
Battle of France
The Battle of France (; 10 May – 25 June 1940), also known as the Western Campaign (), the French Campaign (, ) and the Fall of France, during the Second World War was the Nazi Germany, German invasion of the Low Countries (Belgium, Luxembour ...
and in the invasion of the
Soviet Union
The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...
. He died on 24 July 1941 at the
eastern front as a result of an accident with a Romanian soldier's grenade. He had been
Reich Minister Alfred Rosenberg
Alfred Ernst Rosenberg ( – 16 October 1946) was a Baltic German Nazi theorist and ideologue. Rosenberg was first introduced to Adolf Hitler by Dietrich Eckart and he held several important posts in the Nazi government. He was the head o ...
's choice for the post of ''Generalkommissar'' for
Crimea
Crimea ( ) is a peninsula in Eastern Europe, on the northern coast of the Black Sea, almost entirely surrounded by the Black Sea and the smaller Sea of Azov. The Isthmus of Perekop connects the peninsula to Kherson Oblast in mainland Ukrain ...
, but the job ultimately went to fellow-Austrian
Alfred Frauenfeld.
Post-war legal actions against Leopold's wife
In October 1945, Leopold's widow, Sidonie née Saxeneder (16 August 1894 – 19 July 1980) was tried by the Vienna People's Court for her Nazi Party membership. She had been a member since 1927, and had been awarded the Golden Party Badge. On 8 October 1945, Sidonie was sentenced to two-and-a-half years in prison and had her assets confiscated.
References
Sources
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External links
*
Leopold's death notice in the ''Badener Zeitung'', 2 August 1941(in German)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Leopold, Josef
1889 births
1941 deaths
Austrian escapees
Austrian military personnel killed in World War II
Austrian Nazis
Austro-Hungarian prisoners of war in World War I
Escapees from Russian detention
Gauleiters
German Army officers of World War II
German Army personnel killed in World War II
Members of the Reichstag 1938–1945
People from Krems-Land District
Prisoners and detainees of Austria
Recipients of the Iron Cross (1939), 2nd class
SA-Gruppenführer
Social Democratic Party of Austria politicians