Keitel, Bodewin Claus Eduard.

Keitel, Bodewin Claus Eduard, born 25-12-1888 in Helmscherode, near Bad Gandersheim, as a son of the landowner Carl Keitel and Mrs. Apollonia Vissering. He entered the Army Service as a Fahnenjuncker in the 10^th Jäger Regiment on 23-02-1909,  age 20. He was in the fields of the first war and ended the war detached as Battery Leader to the 242^nd Field Artillery  on 23 Regiment. Although he here with Hauptmann Freiher. v. Wangenheim in 1914, was still a Hauptman, he took over the command of the 3^rd Battalion of the 32^nd Infantry Division on 06-11-1918, until December of the same year. the 32^nd Infantry Division was involved in the in the Battle of  Passchendaele .  After the end of World War I, he was retained in the Reichswehr, eventually reaching the rank of Oberstleutnant. In 1937, he was appointed as the Chief of Training Department (“T4”) and was added in the General Staff of the Army. On 28-02-1938, he was promoted to General and appointed head of the Army Personnel Office. He held this position until 01-10-1942r and became Chief of Army Personnel Office OKW , to 01-10-1942, thanks to his brother Wilhelm Keitel. He then had Granded Leave until 28-03-1943, his adjutant was General der Infanterie, Rudolf Schmundt, one of the four victims of the July 1944 attack on Hitler.

      . On 01-03-193 he became the commanding General of the XX. Army Corps , As a liaison officer in the military District  Oberst Hasso von Boehmer  for this time, was won by his friend Henning von Tresckow,   the military resistance around the brothers Claus Schenk von Stauffenberg.  On the day of the bomb attempt July 20^th 1944 Keitel was on an inspection tour in his command area. As his first officer (Ia) received a telex from the citizen of Berlin that the conspirators received the Bendlerblock,

     headquarters and arranged the first steps from Boehmer. When Keitel heard about the broadcasting of the failed attack, he returned immediately to Danzig, was first confirmed by his brother Wilhelm by phone that Hitler lives, and then took Boehmer, who came before the People’s Court. Boehmer was arrested, and was executed age 49, on 05-03-1945 in the Plötzensee prison.

         

    Hasso von Boehmer.

When the assassination attempt deceased Keitels successor in the office for army personnel was Rudolf Schmundt., As a General of the Infantry, Commander in the Military District XX in Danzig to 15-10-1944. He landed in the Führer Reserve (see Adolf Hitler) (did you know) to 09-01-1945. Detached for briefing as Inspector of Welfare and Provisions Matters until 01-04-1945. Successively he was Inspector of Welfare and Provisions Matters, until 03-05-1945 and U.S captivity until 17-04-1947. He was the brother of the General Field Marschal der Artillerie, Wilhelm Keitel,  the boss of Supreme Command of the Armed Forces OKW.

   Bodewin Keitel was released from prison on 17-04-1947.  He spent his last years of life in the Götzenhof near Bodenfelde in Lower Saxony, suffering from paralysis and speech difficulties. On 29-07- 1953 Bodewin Keitel died in a hospital in Göttingen where he at the age of 64 died, on 29-07-1953 and is buried with his wife Ilse, born Roth, who died age 88 on 30-08-1981, in the family, country side, grave of the Keitel’s in Bad Gandersheim, next to the grave of honor for his brother Wilhelm.