Oberst Paul Winterstein

Paul Winterstein is born in Jitschin in Bohemia [today: Jičín in the Czech Republic] as the legitimate son of the k.u.k. staff doctor Philipp Winterstein and Emilie, née Singer. In the Jewish middle-class family, Paul has two older brothers, Maximilian Winterstein and Robert Winterstein. After elementary school, he attended the German-language grammar school in Olomouc, where he graduated in 1893. He then converted to Catholicism and attended the Technical Military Academy in Vienna between 1893 and 1896.

On August 18, 1896, Paul Winterstein joined the imperial and royal military as a professional soldier. Between 1899 and 1901, he graduated from the war school in Vienna.

After serving in various military posts, he was already promoted to major at the beginning of the First World War. After serving in the field, he became a lieutenant colonel in 1915 and a colonel in the general staff in 1917. He was initially assigned to the VII Corps Command and then as Chief of Staff of the Innsbruck Rifle Division (presumably the 44th Landw-InfTrDiv). Later he was head of department at the k.k. Ministry of National Defense and commanded the Field Artillery Regiment 13 (Sopron) and 32 (Lviv).

On 12 March 1938, Paul Winterstein, who had already retired, witnessed the demise of free and independent Austria with the invasion of the German Wehrmacht. With the occupation of Austria, German legislation was adopted and with it the 'Nuremberg Race Laws', according to which Paul Winterstein was considered a 'full Jew'.

Paul Winterstein had to move to an apartment in Vienna's 2nd district. On October 9, 1942, he is deported to the Ghetto/Theresienstadt concentration camp