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Joseph Ferdinand ToskanaAustrian Archduke, military leader, colonel general
Date of Birth: 24.05.1872
Country:  Austria |
Content:
- Archduke and Military Leader
- Military Career
- World War I
- Inspector General of the Air Force and Retirement
- Life After the War
- Arrest and Death
Archduke and Military Leader
Archduke Joseph Ferdinand of Austria was born into the Tuscan branch of the Habsburg dynasty, the son of Grand Duke Ferdinand IV of Tuscany. After the exclusion of his elder brother, Leopold Ferdinand, from the Habsburg family, Joseph Ferdinand became the heir and eventually the head of the Tuscan line.
Military Career
Educated at the Military Real School and the Theresian Military Academy, Joseph Ferdinand embarked on a military career. He served in various infantry regiments before becoming commander of the 93rd Infantry Regiment in 1905. In 1908, he took command of the 5th Infantry Brigade and then the 3rd Infantry Division in 1911.
World War I
With the outbreak of World War I, Joseph Ferdinand commanded the XIV Army Corps, participating in the Battle of Galicia. In 1914, he became commander of the 4th Army. In 1915, he led his troops in the Winter Battle in the Carpathians and the Brusilov Offensive.
In 1916, Joseph Ferdinand was promoted to General Colonel. However, after suffering a defeat at the hands of the Russian 8th Army, he was removed from command "due to health reasons."
Inspector General of the Air Force and Retirement
After Emperor Karl I ascended to the throne, Joseph Ferdinand was appointed Inspector General of the Air Force. He resigned from the military in 1918.
Life After the War
After the collapse of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Joseph Ferdinand lived in Austria as a private citizen, renouncing all political and financial claims. He married Rosa Kaltenbrunner in 1921 and again to Gertrude Tomanek von Beyerfels-Mondsee in 1929, with whom he had two children.
Arrest and Death
Following the Anschluss of Austria by Nazi Germany, Joseph Ferdinand was arrested and imprisoned at Dachau concentration camp. He was released after several months through the intervention of Herman and Albert Goering. He died in Vienna in 1942.
