Dr. Josef Stangelberger

Josef Stangelberger was born the son of a Viennese magistrate, graduated from grammar school in Vienna-Hernals and then joined the Imperial-Royal Army as a one-year volunteer in May 1916. He served in the Second World War until November 1918 (last rank: first lieutenant in the reserves). He then studied at the Faculty of Law and Political Science at the University of Vienna (Dr. iur. 1921), where he joined the Norica student fraternity in 1920.

At the end of 1921, Josef Stangelberger joined the Vienna Financial Directorate. In 1928, he moved to the Ministry of Social Affairs, where he was in the department for unemployment insurance and employment offices, and in 1932 to the Presidential Office of the Ministry of Finance.

After the Anschluss, he was dismissed on September 28, 1938 and retired on January 1, 1940 with half of his pension. In order to feed his family of six children, rabbits were kept in the apartment, which was strictly forbidden at the time.

From September 10, 1939 to July 3, 1942, Josef Stangelberger was in the German Wehrmacht. He then worked for a tax consultant. Shortly before the end of the war, his house was bombed out. The family found temporary accommodation with Friedrich Krieger, later Governor of the Postal Savings Bank.