Bodewin Keitel

Bodewin Claus Eduard Keitel (born December 25, 1888 in Helmscherode, Germany; and died on July 29, 1953 in Göttingen). He was a German officer, and was Nazi Germany's last Infantry General of World War II.

Early life
Bodewin Keitel was born on 25. December 1888 in Helmscherode as the son of landowner Carl Keitel (1854–1934) and his wife Apollonia Vissering (1855-1888). He was the brother of Field Marshal Wilhelm Keitel, later head of the High Command of the Wehrmacht Bodewin joined when he was 20 years old on 23 February 1909 as a cadet in the Hanoverian Jäger Battalion No. 10 (Goslar) and on 22 August 1910, he was promoted to Lieutenant.

World War I
At the beginning of World War I Keitel was platoon leader in the company of "Hunter Battalion No. 10". He was promoted to Lieutenant on 25 February 1915, he was then appointed shortly after to company commander. As such, he moved on 18 June 1915 to Brandenburg Rifle Battalion 3. Then promoted to Captain on 18 December 1917. On 6 November 1918 he became the Commander of the III Battalion of the 2nd Thuringian Infantry Regiment.

Interwar Period
After the end of World War I, he was transferred to the Reichswehr and then transported back to Battalion 10. During the war's aftermath, he took in the period from 21 December 1918 until 12 February 1919 in command of the battalion and then served in various battalions as company commander.

On 1 February 1928 Bodewin Keitel was to promoted to Major and on 1 October 1932 promoted to Lieutenant Colonel. On 1 March 1933 he was given command of the III Battalion of Infantry Regiment 2, was promoted to Colonel followed by 1 October 1934. With his promotion, he was also appointed Chief of the General Staff of the IX. Army Corps. On 12 October 1937 he was appointed as the Chief of Training Department ("T4") and is added in the General Staff of the Army.

On 28 February 1938 was followed by his promotion to Major General appointment as head of the Army Personnel Office. He held this position until 1 October 1942.

World War II
On 1 April 1940 Keitel received his promotion to Lieutenant-General and one year later the General of Infantry. In the period from 1 October 1942 to 28 February 1943, he was granted leave to "restore health". His successor in the Army Personnel Office was Rudolf Schmundt. On March 1, 1943 Keitel was appointed commanding general of the Deputy Commanding General XX Army Corps and commander in the military district in XX Danzig.

July 20th Plot
The liaison officer in the military district XX at the time was Lieutenant Colonel Hasso von Boehmer, who by his friend Henning von Tresckow for his resistance to Adolf Hitler,recruited the brothers Stauffenberg to carry out the assassination of Hitler. On the day of the assassination attempt on Adolf Hitler (20 July 1944) Keitel was on an inspection tour in his command area. As first general staff officer, Keitel took Boehmer from the Berlin Bendlerblock and a telegram to Keitel from the conspirators and prompted the first steps. As Keitel learned over the radio from the failed attack, he returned immediately back to Gdansk, could only be confirmed by phone from his brother William von Keitel, that Hitler is alive, then Boehmer was taken before the People's Court and executed in 1945.

On 1 December 1944 Bodewin Keitel was moved into the Führerreserve of the Army High Command (OKH). On 3 May 1945 he became a U.S. prisoner of war, then dismissed on 17 April 1947.

Awards

 * German Cross in Silver on 2 October 1942 as Generalleutnant in the OKH/Chief of HPA

Literature

 * Deutsches Geschlechterbuch. Band 102. Görlitz 1938.
 * Hans-Joachim Keitel: Geschichte der Familie Keitel. Hannover 1989.
 * Dieter Lent: Keitel, Bodewin. In: Horst-Rüdiger Jarck, Günter Scheel (Hrsg.): Braunschweigisches Biographisches Lexikon: 19. und 20. Jahrhundert. Hahnsche Buchhandlung, Hannover 1996, ISBN 3-7752-5838-8, S. 315.