Josef Leopold

Josef Leopold
Landesleiter of Austria
In office 29 January 1935 – 21 February 1938
Succeeded by	Hubert Klausner
Gauleiter of Lower Austria
In office 29 August 1927 – 21 February 1938
Preceded by	Leopold Eder
Succeeded by	Hugo Jury
Deputy Gauleiter of Lower Austria
In office 5 September 1926 – 29 August 1927
Preceded by	Position established
Additional positions
1938–1941	Honorary Gauleiter
1938–1941	Reichstag Deputy
Personal details
Born	(1889-02-18)18 February 1889 Langenlois, Lower Austria, Austria-Hungary
Died	24 July 1941(1941-07-24) (aged 52) Malyn, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union
Citizenship	Austrian, German (after 1938)
Political party	Nazi Party
Other political affiliations	Social Democratic Party of Austria Deutsche Nationalsozialistische Arbeiterpartei
Spouse	Sidonie Saxeneder
Occupation	Military officer
Civilian awards	Golden Party Badge Blood Order
Military service
Allegiance	Austria-Hungary  Austria  Nazi Germany
Branch/service	Austro-Hungarian Army Volkswehr German Army
Years of service	1910-1918 1918-1933 1939-1941
Rank	Stabsfeldwebel Hauptmann Oberstleutnant
Unit	49th Infantry Regiment 6th Infantry Regiment
Commands	1st Feldjäger Battalion
Battles/wars	World War I World War II
Military awards	Medal for Bravery (Austria-Hungary), 1st and 2nd class Iron Cross, 2nd class

Josef Leopold (18 February 1889 – 24 July 1941) was the Nazi Party Gauleiter of Lower Austria from 1927 to 1938, as well as the Party's Landesleiter (state leader) and the head of the Sturmabteilung (SA) for all of Austria 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 removed him from office just before the Anschluss with Germany. At the outbreak of the Second World War, Leopold joined the German Army and was killed during the invasion of the Soviet Union.