Ernst-Robert Grawitz

Ernst Robert Grawitz (June 8th 1899 with Charlottenburg - April 24th 1945 with Berlin) was a German Médecin of the Third Reich and Second world war.

Assistant editor of the the German Red Cross, Brigadeführer and Reichsarzt (in French: “doctor of empire”) of the S, he is Co-person in charge of the assassination in mass of handicapped and the Jews and the pseudo-medical experiments on the prisoners.

Family and studies

Born in 1899, he is the son of a professor of medicine, well-known, capital of Reich, which encouraged it very young person to turn to the medical profession. After its release of a prison camp of war in 1919, it undertakes studies of medicine to the Université Humboldt of Berlin.

Careers medical and political

After the success of its examinations, he works until in 1929 as assistant, then first assistant of Internal medicine at the hospital of the Berlin-Westend , then he settles as specialist in internal medicine in the surroundings in Berlin. Of 1933 with 1936 it works again in internal medicine at the hospital of the Berlin-Westend . The director of this establishment describes Grawitz “like an absolutely faithful, honourable and reliable person” , but he however regrets to be able to make it admit at the post of professor of medicine, because of his political commitment which takes too much time to him. Indeed, at the beginning of its studies, Grawitz had militated in various organizations of extreme right-hand side.

In 1919, it belongs to the Einwohnerwehr Berlin (in French: “militia of the Berliners”) then in 1920 it takes share with the attempt at Putsch of Kapp. Then it enters to the Freikorps " Olympia “and, the same year, as certain documents will reveal it, it belongs to the partisans of Hitler.

In November 1931, it enters the S, then becomes member of NSDAP in 1932. Heinrich Himmler appoints it chief of the department of health of the S in 1935 then Reichsarzt of the S. As a Reichsarzt , it is directly subordinated to Himmler and is the higher authority in all the medical and medical businesses of the S. He becomes thus the person in charge of the medical condition of the Concentration camps and all the doctors who work there.

Director of the German Red Cross

In 1937, Grawitz is placed by Adolf Hitler with the head of the German Croix-Rouge (DRK), as assistant editor and vice-president near the titular president, Charles-Edouard of Saxony-Cobourg and Gotha. The German branch of the international organization is thus completely controlled to the Nazi regime.

The nomination of an important member of the S to the direction of the DRK is explained especially by the plans of war of the Nazis. 1936 was for Hitler the moment of the heaviest resolutions, as he will say it even later, it is to him this year that he made his definite decision concerning the war. In this objective, it was crucial that whole pieces of the company are adapted to the needs for the war. The DRK represented, thanks to its experiment and its human resources, an invaluable support in the optics of the all-out war.

With semi-1937, it reorganizes the structure of the DRK, without any legal base, making its various independent federations, the vassal ones of the national structure, which is then completely contrary with the associative nature of the organization. The December 9th 1937, a law on the DRK and of new statutes give a legal appearance to this reorganization.

A dignitary Nazi

Its hierarchical row at the top of the chain of health S does of it one of the principal persons in charge of the medical experiments Nazis.

In August 1941, Doctor Grawitz advises with Heinrich Himmler the technique of the extermination of mass by the Gas chambers. In June 1943, he recommends the human experimentation of the virus of the Typhus on prisoners of the Concentration camp of Sachsenhausen. Lastly, it personally supervised the experiments of cold prolonged exposure and with ice-cold water undertaken on prisoners of Dachau in 1944.

Doctor with the Führerbunker at the time of the arrival of the Soviets in Berlin, it asks for Adolf Hitler the authorization of flee the city. After the humiliating refusal that this one inflicts to him publicly by treating it of coward, it commits suicide with the grenade with its family one evening while dining.

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