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Wilhelm KeitelGerman military leader, Chief of Staff of the Supreme Command of the Armed Forces of Germany
Date of Birth: 22.09.1882
Country:  Germany |
Content:
- Wilhelm Keitel: German Military Leader and War Criminal
- Rise in the Wehrmacht
- Complicity in War Crimes
- Opposition to Hitler
- Surrender and Trial
- Trial and Execution
Wilhelm Keitel: German Military Leader and War Criminal
Early Life and Military CareerWilhelm Keitel was born into a Prussian landowner's family in Helmcherode in 1882. He joined the German Army as a cadet in 1901 and served in artillery units during World War I. After the war, he remained in the newly formed army of the Weimar Republic.
Rise in the Wehrmacht
Keitel's career accelerated under the Nazi regime. In 1935, he was appointed head of the Armed Forces Office, and in 1938, he became Chief of the Supreme Command of the Wehrmacht. As the highest-ranking officer in the German military, Keitel played a key role in planning and executing Nazi Germany's military campaigns.
Complicity in War Crimes
During World War II, Keitel was responsible for signing orders that authorized the execution of Soviet commissars and the deportation and extermination of Jews. He was also complicit in the ill-treatment of prisoners of war and the use of forced labor.
Opposition to Hitler
Despite his loyalty to the Nazi regime, Keitel opposed Hitler's plans for an invasion of France and the Soviet Union. He also criticized Himmler's ethnic cleansing campaign in the occupied Soviet territories. However, Hitler refused to accept Keitel's resignations.
Surrender and Trial
In May 1945, Keitel signed the German Instrument of Surrender, ending World War II in Europe. He was arrested shortly after and brought before the International Military Tribunal in Nuremberg.
Trial and Execution
The Nuremberg Tribunal found Keitel guilty of war crimes, crimes against humanity, and conspiracy to commit aggression. He was sentenced to death by hanging and was executed on October 16, 1946. In his final words, Keitel expressed his regret for the suffering caused by the war and asked for mercy for the German people.
