Wilhelm Keitel

Wilhelm Keitel (1882–1946) was a German field marshal who led the Armed Forces High Command during World War II. Convicted of war crimes and crimes against humanity at the Nuremberg trial, he was executed in 1946.

Adolf Hitler: Adolf Hitler was the dictator of Nazi Germany from 1933 until his death in 1945. Keitel served Hitler as a senior military adviser and signed orders issued in his name.
Oberkommando der Wehrmacht: The Oberkommando der Wehrmacht was Nazi Germany’s Armed Forces High Command, coordinating the army, navy, and air force under Hitler. Keitel headed this central command organization from 1938 through the war.
Imperial German Army: The Imperial German Army was the land force of the German Empire until its dissolution after World War I. Keitel began his military career in this army before Germany’s defeat in 1918.
Nuremberg trials: The Nuremberg trials were postwar proceedings that prosecuted German leaders and organizations for crimes committed under the Nazi regime. Keitel’s conviction and execution came from the International Military Tribunal’s first trial.
Erich von Manstein: Erich von Manstein was a German field marshal and operational commander on the Eastern Front during World War II. Unlike Keitel, Manstein commanded armies in the field and was tried separately by a British military court.
Alfred Jodl: Alfred Jodl was a German general who led the Wehrmacht Operations Staff during World War II. Jodl worked closely with Keitel in the Armed Forces High Command and was tried alongside him.
Wehrmacht: The Wehrmacht was Nazi Germany’s unified armed forces from 1935 to 1945. Keitel’s high command operated above the armed services within this broader military institution.
Reichswehr: The Reichswehr was Germany’s limited postwar military, established under the Treaty of Versailles and replaced by the Wehrmacht in 1935. Keitel served in the Reichswehr before Nazi rearmament expanded his authority.
International Military Tribunal: The International Military Tribunal was the four-power court that tried major Nazi leaders at Nuremberg from 1945 to 1946. This tribunal convicted Keitel on all four counts brought against him.
Erwin Rommel: Erwin Rommel was a German field marshal who commanded forces in North Africa and later in Western Europe. Rommel’s battlefield command contrasts with Keitel’s central staff authority in Berlin.

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