Why Hitler’s top military commander was mocked as a mere nodding donkey

History · Published 3 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: Wilhelm Keitel rose to become the chief of Nazi Germany's high command, yet his peers viewed him as a spineless sycophant. Known as a yes-man who lacked independent judgment, he signed the criminal orders that fueled the Holocaust. His legacy remains a chilling study in the dangers of blind obedience.

Born in 1882, Wilhelm Keitel began his career as a Prussian officer cadet in 1901. His ascent within the military hierarchy was unremarkable until 1938, when Adolf Hitler appointed him chief of the Oberkommando der Wehrmacht (OKW). Hitler chose Keitel specifically because he was perceived as a compliant subordinate who would execute orders without question. This reputation earned him derisive nicknames among fellow officers, such as Lakeitel—a pun on the word for lackey—and Nickesel, after a toy donkey that nodded its head.

Keitel’s tenure was defined by his role as a conduit for Hitler’s most brutal directives. He was instrumental in facilitating the invasion of the Soviet Union and the subsequent radicalization of occupation policies. He explicitly rejected military legal advice to treat Soviet prisoners of war according to the Geneva Conventions, famously declaring that the regime’s goal was to suppress a way of life. He also signed the Night and Fog Decree in 1941 and the Commando Order in 1942, both of which authorized extrajudicial killings and the disappearance of captives.

Following Germany's defeat, Keitel was tried by the International Military Tribunal in Nuremberg. His defense rested on the claim that he was merely following orders and adhering to his personal oath of loyalty to Hitler. The tribunal rejected this argument, finding that his crimes were too extensive and egregious to be mitigated by superior orders. Convicted on all four counts, including crimes against humanity and war crimes, Keitel was executed by hanging in 1946. His final moments were marked by a botched execution that resulted in a prolonged and agonizing death, a grim end for a man who had facilitated the deaths of millions.

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