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Bodevin KeitelMilitary figure
Date of Birth: 25.12.1888
Country:  Germany |
Content:
- Biography of Bodewin Keitel
- Advancement under Wilhelm Keitel
- Challenges and Demotion
- Later Years and Legacy
Biography of Bodewin Keitel
Early Life and Military CareerBodewin Keitel, a German military figure, was born on December 25, 1888, in Helmscherode, Germany. He joined the imperial army as a cadet in 1909, becoming a lieutenant in the 10th Jäger Battalion the following year. Keitel participated in World War I and served in the Reichswehr, the armed forces of the Weimar Republic. By the time Adolf Hitler came to power in 1933, Keitel had risen to the rank of Oberstleutnant. In 1934, he was promoted to Colonel.
Advancement under Wilhelm Keitel
After Hitler appointed his brother Wilhelm Keitel as the Chief of the Armed Forces on February 4, 1938, Wilhelm began promoting his younger brother. Bodewin was appointed as a Major General and became the head of personnel management for the army. On October 1, 1941, Bodewin Keitel was promoted to Infantry General.
Challenges and Demotion
Bodewin's fate was closely tied to his more influential older brother, Wilhelm. Due to a dispute between Hitler and Wilhelm's chief of operations, Generaloberst Alfred Jodl, Wilhelm fell temporarily out of favor with the Führer in September 1942. As a result, Bodewin lost his position, and Generalmajor Rudolf Schmundt replaced him. Bodewin was then sent to Danzig to command the XX Military District, which included the former "Free City of Danzig," the area of the old "Polish Corridor," and the western part of East Prussia. His responsibilities included recruitment, conscription, and training of new recruits in the region.
Later Years and Legacy
Bodewin Keitel continued his work in Danzig until November 30, 1944, when the XX Military District faced imminent danger from the Soviets, and he was replaced by General of Infantry Karl-Wilhelm Specht. After several months without a position, Keitel was appointed as the Inspector of Material, Technical, and Medical Support for Infantry Units on April 1, 1945. At the end of the war, Bodewin Keitel surrendered to the victors. As he was not recognized as a war criminal, he was released in 1948. Keitel lived out his remaining years quietly in Getzenhof-Bodiefeld, where he passed away in 1952.
