Klepp was born in Preßburg,
Austria-Hungary (now
Bratislava, Slovakia). He attended the
Theresian Military Academy and joined the Austro-Hungarian army on 18 August 1910. He fought in
World War I as a platoon leader and company commander. After the end of World War I, he served in the Land Command of
Styria, the
Graz army administrative office and the 10th Alpenjäger Regiment. In 1924, he obtained a
Doctor of Law degree (Dr. jur.). Following the
Annexation of Austria by Germany in 1938, he was assigned to the staff of the
45th Infantry Division and later the
18th Infantry Division of the German Heer. He fought in the
Eastern Front as commander of the 526th Regiment of the
298th Infantry Division and was awarded an
Eastern Medal and a
German Cross in Gold. In April 1942, he was promoted to major general and appointed commander of the
370th Infantry Division which he led in the
Battle of the Caucasus. For a period of two months, he commanded the
4th Field Division (Luftwaffe) near
Vitebsk. In 1944, he was appointed commander of the
133rd Fortress Division in
Crete and promoted to lieutenant general. In 1945 he was made commander of the
702nd Infantry Division in Norway. ==Death==