Early Life

•Keitel was born on September 22, 1882 in Helmscherode, Germany.

•His family were landowners with a long and rich military history.

•Keitel earned average grades in school and grew up on his family estate.

•After graduation, he joined the German army in 1901 as a member of the artillery corps.

Today, Helmscherode is in Bad Gandersheim.