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He was born in Helmscherode near Hanover, Germany, the son of Carl Keitel, a middle-class landowner. He was a career soldier, after education in Göttingen he became a Fahnenjunker (Cadet Officer) in 1901 and joined the 6th Lower-Saxon Field Artillery Regiment. He married Lisa Fontaine, in 1909.
During World War I he served on the Western front with the 46th Artillery Regiment. In September 1914, during the fighting in Flanders, he was seriously wounded in his right forearm by a shell fragment. He recovered becoming a member of the German General StaffThe German General Staff or Grosser Generalstab was the most important German "weapon" for nearly two centuries. History Prussia was first among nations to create a separate standing unit dedicated entirely to the rational planning of all aspects of War. in early 1915Events January 12 The Rocky Mountain National Park is established by an act of Congress. January 12 United States House of Representatives rejects proposal to give women the right to vote. January 13 An earthquake (6. 8 in Richter scale) in Avezzano, Ital. Post-war he stayed in the newly created ReichswehrThe Reichswehr (literally National Defence or National Militia formed the military organization of Germany from 1918 until 1935, when the government rebranded it as the Wehrmacht Defence Power . At the end of World War I, the forces of the German Empire h, he played a part in organizing FreikorpsThe designation of Freikorps ( German for "Free Corps") was originally applied to voluntary armies. The first freikorps were recruited by Frederick II of Prussia during the Seven Year's War. Other known freikorps appeared during the Napoleonic Wars and we frontier guard units on the PolishThe Republic of Poland a country in Central Europe, lies between Germany to the west, the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south, Ukraine and Belarus to the east, and the Baltic Sea, Lithuania and Russia (in the form of the Kaliningrad Oblast exclave) t border, served as a divisional general staff officer, and later was an instructor at Hanover Cavalry School for two years.
In late 1924Centuries: 19th century 20th century 21st century Decades: 1870s 1880s 1890s 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s Years: 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 See also 1924 in aviation 1924 in film 1924 in literature 1924 in mu he was transferred to the Reich Defence Ministry serving as an officer with the Troop Office ( Truppenamt ), the post- VersaillesThe Treaty of Versailles of 1919 is the peace treaty created as a result of the six-month-long Paris Peace Conference of 1919 which put an official end to World War I. The ceremonial signing of the treaty with Germany occurred June 28, 1919. The treaty wa disguised General StaffThe German General Staff or Grosser Generalstab was the most important German "weapon" for nearly two centuries. History Prussia was first among nations to create a separate standing unit dedicated entirely to the rational planning of all aspects of War.. He was soon promoted to the head of the organizational department, a post he retained after the Nazi seizure of power in 1933, in 1935, based on a recommendation by Werner von Fritsch he bacame the head of the newly created Armed Forces Office ( Wehrmachtamt ).