Ferdinand Jodl entered the
Imperial German Army in August 1914 as an
ensign, serving as a
Leutnant in a
Bavarian Field Artillery Regiment from 1915 until the end of
World War I. He remained in the army after 1918, becoming a
general staff officer. In this capacity he served with
XII Corps in the early part of
World War II, then moving to
XXXXIX Mountain Corps. From 1942 he served in Finland and North Norway, first as chief of staff of the
20th Mountain Army, then as commander of the
XIX Mountain Corps, receiving the
Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross for his command of this corps in January 1945. He ended the war as commander of German forces in North Norway, grouped under the name Army Detachment Narvik, having attained the rank of
General of Mountain Troops. Ferdinand Jodl died in
Essen on 9 June 1956, aged 59 and was buried on
Frauenchiemsee in Bavaria. ==Awards and decorations==