America\'s Military Adversaries. From Colonial Times to the Present

with arrogance and insensitivity. As the war
progressed, Keitel, in concert with Gen. Alfred
Jodl, the head of army operations, basically
rubber-stamped any operational whim Hitler
cared to impose upon the military, regardless
of the circumstances. Only once, when he
threatened to resign over the impending inva-
sion of the Soviet Union in 1941, did Keitel dis-
play any independence. Worse, his servile de-
meanor also led to complicity in numerous and
horrific war crimes. Foremost among these
was the famous Nacht und Nebel(Night and
Fog) directive, which held that any German cit-
izen perceived as an enemy of the state was li-
able to suddenly disappear—without any ex-
planation to the next of kin. Keitel also
acquiesced to the brutal Commissar Directive,
which encouraged special SS units (Hitler’s pri-
vate army) to execute men, women, and chil-
dren in occupied territories when deemed nec-
essary. Not surprisingly, Keitel was at Hitler’s
side during the failed bomb plot of July 1944—
and was among the first to congratulate him
for surviving. He subsequently played a promi-
nent role in the Army Court of Honor that sen-
tenced hundreds of innocent officers to death
for their alleged collusion. After Hitler’s suicide
in April 1945, Keitel worked briefly for the pro-
visional government of Adm. Karl Dönitz, and
on May 9, 1945, he formally signed Germany’s
surrender to the Allies in Berlin.
Within days, Keitel was arrested by Allied
authorities and charged with crimes against
humanity. During his trial at Nuremberg, the
former general matter-of-factly explained
that he was only following orders issued by
his superior, and like a good soldier, he was
compelled to obey. The court found him

guilty on several counts and issued a death

sentence. Keitel apparently experienced sec-

ond thoughts, for he admitted his guilt and

requested to be shot like a soldier. When the

request was denied, the tall, melancholy

sycophant went to the gallows on October 16,

1944. He was a model staff officer, but also a
      willing accomplice in some of the greatest
      crimes of world history.

See also

Hitler, Adolf

Bibliography

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Grove Weidenfield, 1989; Brett-Smith, Richard.

Hitler’s Generals.London: Osprey, 1976; Chant,

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London: Salamander Books, 1977; Gorlitz, Walter.

History of the German General Staff, 1657–1945.

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KEITEL, WILHELM