Keitel, Wilhelm, << KYT uhl, VIHL hehlm >> (1882-1946), served as chief of the high command of the German armed forces during World War II (1939-1945). He conducted the armistice negotiations between Germany and France in 1940 and signed an agreement for the surrender of Germany to the Allies in Berlin on May 9, 1945. Keitel faithfully carried out the military aspect of Adolf Hitler’s aggressions. From the start of the war, Keitel approved measures leading to mass murder, especially in Poland and the Soviet Union. He was found guilty of war crimes and crimes against humanity and was executed on Oct. 16, 1946, in Nuremberg, Germany. He was born on Sept. 22, 1882, in Helmscherode, near Gandersheim.
