Wilhelm Keitel (September 22nd 1882 with Helmscherode close to Hanover, Germany - October 16th 1946 with Nuremberg, Germany) was marshal, commander supreme of the German armed forces , during the Second world war.

Youth

Born from an owner big family of land goods. Teenager, it liked to traverse the countryside and, in particular, the exploitations of his parents, to dream and play with other children with the war, play already preferred of Wilhelm. After an education with Göttingen, he enlisted in the army like Fahnenjunker (officer junior) in 1901 and joined the 6th field artillery regiment of Lower Saxony. He married LISA Fontaine in 1909.

During the First World War, it was used on the face of the West with the 46e regiment as artillery, in the capacity as commander of battery. In September 1914, during the combat in Flandres, it was seriously wounded with the right-hand man by a glare of shell. It is restored and became member of the staff at the beginning of 1915.

After the war, it remained in the news Reichswehr and helped to organize the Freikorps, frontier guards with the Poland, then he was instructor during two years at the school of cavalry of Hanover.

At the end of 1924, it was transferred to the Ministry for Defense from the Weimar Republic which was then disguised in office of the troops ( Truppenamt ). It kept its station after the arrival of the Nazi S with the capacity and even was promoted by it like the chief with the recommendation of Werner von Fritsch.

January 30th, 1933, Hitler seized the power and, during the following period, Keitel, in convalescence with the private clinic of Tatra-Westerheim in Czechoslovakia for a Thrombose with a leg, learned the news. On its return to Berlin, Keitel became department head of the Minister for defense, the general von Blomberg. December 1st, 1933, Keitel took the command of a division of infantry with Potsdam and, in spite of the treaty of Versailles and with the complicity of the Reichswehr (clandestine military organization), it prepared, in the stables of the old regiment of the guard, a Manufacture of weapons. This deposit of weapons, used by SA to prepare the putsch (Night of the Long Knives) directed by Ernst Röhm, was moved, held secret and kept by the major of against-espionage Anton Rintelen.

Second world war

In 1937, he is general and, in 1938, after the Affaire Blomberg-Fritsch followed replacement of the Reichswehrministerium by the Oberkommando der Wehrmacht (OKW, high command of the armed forces), he becomes the supreme leader of the troops. It is named marshal in 1940.

During the Second world war, it showed a weak and précautionneux commander, even pusillanime. He was opposed to the invasion Poland then of the France. Each time, it gave its resignation, but it was not accepted. Its last attempt at distrust related to the Siegmund list, then it passively achieves all that one ordered to him and received the nickname by his colleagues of Lakaitel (lackey). It signed all the orders, including most criticizable éthiquement, making it possible Himmler to exert its terror in particular in Russia. It chaired the court which gave the officers who had tried to kill Hitler on July 20th, 1944 with Roland Freisler to be eliminated.

The May 9th 1945 with Berlin, it presented to the Soviet Union the capitulation of Germany, after having pointed out, aloud: “Ah! The French are there too! It missed nothing any more but that! ”. During the Lawsuit of Nuremberg, he is condemned to died for plan concerted or plot, crimes against peace, war crimes and crimes against humanity for his paramount role in the war of extermination in the East and hung.

External bond

• the lawsuit of Wilhelm Keitel in Nuremberg - TRIAL WATCH

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