Ernst-Robert Grawitz (8 June 1899 – 24 April 1945) was a German physician (and a SS-Reichsarzt) in Nazi Germany during World War II.
Background[]
Grawitz was born in Charlottenburg, in the western part of Berlin, Germany.
As Reichsphysician SS and Police, Grawitz advised Heinrich Himmler, commander of the Schutzstaffel (SS), on the use of gas chambers. Grawitz was also head of the German Red Cross. His wife, Ilse, was the daughter of SS-Obergruppenführer and General of the Waffen-SS Siegfried Taubert.
Towards the end of World War II in Europe, Grawitz was a physician in Adolf Hitler's Führerbunker. When he learned that all SS departments were leaving Berlin in order to escape from advancing Soviet armies, Grawitz petitioned Hitler to allow him to leave; the request was refused. As the Soviets approached, a grenade exploded Grawitz' house, killing him, his wife and his children. It is assumed that it was suicide in an act that also killed his family.
It should be noted that Grawitz made no attempt to hide the fact that he wanted to commit suicide. This was probably not only due to the fact that he was an SS officer, but due to his involvement in the Holocaust - facts that Grawitz probably assumed would later be exposed.
- Saturday, April 21, 1945: Grawitz' secretary at the German Red Cross, Radke, is handing out 50 brass cylinders with cyanide capsules at the German Red Cross.
- Sunday April 22, 1945: Grawitz and his SS-Adjutant are at the German Red Cross for lunch. ... Grawitz is described as a "flattering nervous wreck". (Cornelius Ryan, The Last Battle)
In Downfall[]
He was first seen in the Bunker waiting for his appointment with Hitler, prior to the Hitler Eating Scene. Some time between the eating scene and the reviews scene he went into Hitler's office and took a seat, as he was seen in the latter scene already in the office, sighing and wiping sweat off his face when Hitler entered the office room. Grawitz asked Hitler if he could leave Berlin, since the SS were self-evacuating, thus leaving him with no more work to do. Hitler replied that Himmler is a traitor and refused Grawitz's request. Otto Günsche came knocking, prompting Hitler to dismiss the doctor. Grawitz left the room with a sad face.
Immediately after the reviews scene is the suicidal scene involving Grawitz and his family. He wore the 'Sunday uniform' and sat with his family for dinner. As his wife served dinner, he set two hand grenades off from under the table, blowing the entire household.
Benad361 mused in 2011 that Grawitz' portrayal in the film was highly unfavourable - although Hitler claims that he will be thanked for his "medical research", none of his supposedly good work (which was actually related to the Holocaust) is shown. Instead, he is portrayed as a nervous, impotent officer with few uses, as well as a moral coward who destroys himself and his family.
List of appearances[]
In Parody Universe[]
The Fat Doctor[]
Unlike the real-life Grawitz, its Downfall Parody Universe counterpart is overweight. This has made him a prompt target for hilarity by all Untergangers. In the Downfall parody universe, Grawitz is Hitler's portly doctor who always seeks Hitler's favor and wants to be his go-to guy. However, the Führer is quite content with having Günsche to fill that role. Grawitz makes countless pleas to Hitler for 'cool assignments', and this often leads Hitler to unleash a barrage of fat jokes. Among Untergangers, Grawitz is generally viewed as a tragic character.
Perhaps one of the most well known Grawitz' moments is the Foot stomp of doom, by wilmolfc. The Stomp is similar to Hitler's Pencil of Doom, but it involves Grawitz blurting out targets then stomping his foot in anger. So far, two of these videos have been made. Another key feature of the stomp of doom is the fact that the severity of the stomp progresses, starting with someone falling from a skateboard, ending with Grawitz unfairly blowing up the planet of Alderaan.
In Hitlerrantsparodies's videos, Grawitz is often a subject of humiliation by Hitler, as the latter often refers to him by names such as lard ass, fatty, useless piece of fat, etc.
Suicide Scene[]
A slightly less common but still frequently used scene with Grawitz is the sequence in which he uses two grenades to blow up himself and his family. This scene is frequently included at the end of a parody centered around Grawitz, resulting in a running joke involving him blowing himself up for various bizarre reasons. This was humorously acknowledged in Grawitz the Pilot, where it is revealed that he considers blowing up his family to be a "daily ritual"', which makes him reluctant to fly Hitler's new UFO (he still manages to use the UFO's weapons to blow up his family anyway). In V for Verrat, Grawitz uses his suicidal prowess for beneficial purposes by blowing himself up in order to destroy the bunker.
Gallery[]
