Wilhelm Bodewin Johann Gustav Keitel was a German field marshal who held office as chief of the Oberkommando der Wehrmacht (OKW), the high command of Nazi Germany's armed forces, during World War II. He signed a number of criminal orders and directives that led to numerous war crimes.
Keitel in 1942
Keitel (seated far right) with Hitler in the Sudetenland in 1938.
Keitel (far left) and other members of the German high command with Adolf Hitler at a military briefing, (c. 1940)
Keitel signing the ratified surrender terms for the German Army in Berlin, 8 May 1945
Oberkommando der Wehrmacht
The Oberkommando der Wehrmacht was the supreme military command and control office of Nazi Germany during World War II. Created in 1938, the OKW replaced the Reich Ministry of War and had oversight over the individual high commands of the country's armed forces: the army, navy, and air force.
Image: Bundesarchiv Bild 183 H30220, Wilhelm Keitel.jpg (cropped)
Image: Bundesarchiv Bild 146 1971 033 01, Alfred Jodl
Image: Bundesarchiv Bild 146 1971 033 01, Alfred Jodl