Lot 2254

Description

Finely tailored, field-grey ribbed tricot wool tunic featuring an eight button front, scalloped and pleated breast pockets, lower slash pockets with scalloped flaps, deep French cuffs and bright red piping down the front panel. Hand-applied gold wire thread national eagle of the highest quality with orange thread highlights on a field grey backing. Machine-applied, embroidered gold wire collar tabs, gold & silver wire cord shoulder boards, each with a single silver pip sewn into shoulders. Gilded pebbled buttons are all matching and marked “Extra Fein”, loops on left breast for a long ribbon bar and one award. Inside lined in gray rayon with tailor label “KVD” at neck, name tag inside pocket to “Gen.Maj.W.Keitel” and date “24.1.1935”, above pocket initials “WK” are stitched in yellow thread. Long pants tailored in stone grey ribbed tricot wool, slit side pockets, small watch pocket, single rear pocket and rear waist adjustment belt. Pants feature wide red “lampassen” General stripes on each leg, inside has initials “WK” stitched in yellow thread. Includes two green, cloth covered folios, a smaller folio with cover with lettering “Sofort”, “Generalfeldmarschall” and “Fräulein Grundmann”, which was used by Keitel to hand off important papers to his secretary during his time as Generalfeldmarschall. A larger, green folio that is leather bound with a swastika motif border on the cover, an inside cover with string to hold documents in place, and small pockets. Assorted war and post-war newspaper articles relating to Keitel and Nuremberg. Includes letter from the U.S. veteran who took the uniform from Keitel’s house along with a period photo of the veteran wearing this uniform.
Wilhelm Bodewin Johann Gustav Keitel (22 September 1882 – 16 October 1946) was a German field marshal who served as Chief of the Armed Forces High Command (Oberkommando der Wehrmacht, OKW) during World War II. Keitel's rise to the Wehrmacht high command began with his appointment as the head of the Armed Forces Office at the Reich Ministry of War in 1935. After Hitler took command of the Wehrmacht in 1938, he replaced the ministry with the OKW, with Keitel as its chief. Keitel was reviled among his military colleagues as Hitler's habitual "yes-man". After the war, Keitel was indicted by the International Military Tribunal in Nuremberg as one of the major war criminals. He was found guilty on all counts of the indictment: crimes against humanity, crimes against peace, criminal conspiracy, and war crimes. Keitel was sentenced to death and executed by hanging in 1946.

USA-Lot: Shipping from the USA.

Condition: II + Questions about the lot?