After finishing school in 1915 he joined the Austrian Hungarian Army and served as an artillery officer, mainly at the Italian front, in World War I.
Redlich worked for one year in industry before joining Emil Abel at the University of Vienna.
[3][4][5] After the Anschluss in March 1938, Austria became a part of Nazi Germany, and with the implementation of the Nuremberg Laws all government employed Jews lost their jobs, including academics.
[1][2] With the help of the Emergency Committee in Aid of Displaced Foreign Scholars, Redlich was able to emigrate to the United States in December 1938.
Harold Urey helped him to obtain a position in Washington State College.