Wilhelm Keitel facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Wilhelm Keitel
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Keitel in 1942
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| Chief of the Wehrmacht High Command | |
| In office 4 February 1938 – 13 May 1945 |
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| Preceded by | Werner von Blomberg (as Reich Minister of War) |
| Succeeded by | Alfred Jodl |
| Chief of the Armed Forces Office | |
| In office 1 October 1935 – 4 February 1938 |
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| Preceded by | Walter von Reichenau |
| Succeeded by | Position abolished |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Wilhelm Bodewin Johann Gustav Keitel
22 September 1882 Helmscherode, Duchy of Brunswick, German Empire |
| Died | 16 October 1946 (aged 64) Nuremberg Prison, Nuremberg, Allied-occupied Germany |
| Cause of death | Died after being found guilty at trial |
| Spouse |
Lisa Fontaine
(m. 1909) |
| Relatives | Bodewin Keitel (brother) |
| Signature |  |
| Nickname | "Lakeitel" |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  German Empire Weimar Republic Nazi Germany |
| Branch/service |  Imperial German Army Reichsheer German Army |
| Years of service | 1901–1945 |
| Rank | Generalfeldmarschall |
| Commands | Oberkommando der Wehrmacht |
| Battles/wars | World War I
World War II |
| Awards | Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross |
| Criminal conviction | |
| Criminal status | Executed |
| Conviction(s) | Found guilty of serious actions during the war, including planning aggressive wars and actions against humanity. |
| Trial | Nuremberg trials |
| Criminal penalty | Death |
Wilhelm Bodewin Johann Gustav Keitel (born 22 September 1882 – died 16 October 1946) was a high-ranking German military officer. He became a field marshal, which is a very senior army rank. During World War II, he was the chief of the Oberkommando der Wehrmacht (OKW). This was the main command center for Nazi Germany's armed forces. Keitel signed many orders and directions that led to very harmful actions during the war.
Contents
Early Life and Military Career
Wilhelm Keitel was born in a small village called Helmscherode in Germany. His family owned land. At first, he wanted to take over his family's farms after finishing school. But his father did not want to stop working, so Keitel decided to join the army in 1901. He became an officer cadet in the Prussian Army. He joined a field artillery group and later became an adjutant (a military assistant). In 1909, Keitel married Lisa Fontaine. Her family was also wealthy landowners.
Keitel was a tall man, about 1.85 meters (6 feet 1 inch) tall. He was described as strong and determined.
World War I and Beyond
During World War I, Keitel fought on the Western Front. He was part of the battles in Flanders and was badly wounded. After being promoted to captain, he worked for an infantry division in 1915.
After the war, Keitel stayed in the army, which was then called the Reichswehr. This was the new German army of the Weimar Republic. He helped organize some special military units near the Polish border. In 1924, Keitel moved to Berlin to work at the Ministry of the Reichswehr. He worked in a special office that was secretly like the old German General Staff, even though that was forbidden after the war. After three years, he returned to leading troops.
Rise to High Command
In 1929, Keitel, now a lieutenant-colonel, went back to the war ministry. He quickly became the head of the Organizational Department. He held this job until Adolf Hitler came to power in 1933. Keitel played a key role in Germany's rearming, which meant building up its military again. He even traveled to the Soviet Union to check on secret training camps. In 1932, he had a heart attack and got very sick. After he got better, he was given command of an infantry division in Bremen in 1934.
Keitel's path to the top of the Wehrmacht began in 1935. He was made the head of the Armed Forces Office at the Reich Ministry of War. In 1938, Adolf Hitler took control of the Wehrmacht himself. He changed the ministry into the OKW, and Keitel became its chief. Some of his military colleagues did not like him because they felt he always agreed with Hitler.
After World War II, Keitel was put on trial by the International Military Tribunal in Nuremberg. He was one of the main people accused of serious actions during the war. He was found guilty of all the charges against him. These included planning aggressive wars, actions against peace, and other serious actions that caused great harm to people. He was sentenced to death and died in 1946.
Family Connections
Wilhelm Keitel was the uncle of Katherine "Kitty" Oppenheimer. She was married to the famous physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer. He was the director of the Manhattan Project's Los Alamos Laboratory, where the first atomic bombs were developed.
Portrayals in Film
Wilhelm Keitel has been shown in many World War II films. For example, Dieter Mann played him in the movie Downfall (2004). Also, an East German actor named Gerd Michael Henneberg often played Keitel in several movies made by the Soviet Union and East Germany. These films were directed by Yuri Ozerov in the 1970s and 1980s. Some of these movies include Soldiers of Freedom (1977), Battle of Moscow (1985), and Stalingrad (1990).
Images for kids
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Wilhelm Keitel's signature
See also
In Spanish: Wilhelm Keitel para niños
