The body of Field Marshal Wilhelm Keitel after his execution on 16th Oct 1946 (b/w...

Wilhelm Bodewin Johann Gustav Keitel (1882-1946) was a German field marshal who served as chief of the Oberkommando der Wehrmacht (Supreme Command of the Armed Forces) for most of World War II, making him the Chief of Defense for Germany. He was hanged by the American Army hangman, Sgt. John C. Woods. The facial blood stains seen in the photo of Keitel's corpse were due to the trapdoor being too small, causing him and several others of the condemned to suffer head injuries through hitting the trapdoor during the drop. One of 28 photographs from a series of photographs, ‘Historic Pictures of Nazi Criminals after their Executions 24-10-46’, showing eleven condemned or executed Nazi war criminals, Oct 1946. One of 32 photographs collected by Maurice Watts. Associated with the Nuremberg Trials, World War Two, North West Europe (1944-1945).