Robert Grawitz (* 8. June 1899 in Charlottenburg, "† 24. April 1945 in Berlin) be in the time the national socialism managing director the German red cross, and as "physician the SS "jointly responsible for mass murder on obstruct and medical experiment to prisoner.

Life

It 1899 born as a son in the realm capital admitted and in the professional world of estimated physician and professor, who steered the boy already early on the occupation of physician.

After its dismissal from English war shank began seriousness Robert Grawitz 1919 a medicine study at the citizens of Berlin university. After the state examination and the license to practise medicine he was to 1929 auxiliary physician, assistant and 1. Assistant in the internal department of the hospital Berlin West-end and established themselves thereafter as a specialist for internal diseases with a practice in Berlin. From 1933 to 1936 Grawitz was busy in the internal department citizens of Berlin of the waistcoat lp hospital. The medical director at that time of the house estimated Grawitz as an absolutely reliable, faithful, most honourable character.

At the same time its promoter regretted however to be able to have brought Grawitz to the Habilitation since its political activity would have taken the young scientist up too much. Already apart from its medicine study Grawitz in right-wing extremist organizations worked. It belonged to the "inhabitant resistance Berlin" in November 1919 and was 1920 involved in the "cut Putsch". Subsequently, Grawitz joined the free corps "Olympia" and indicated in later documents since 1920 "Hitler trailer" to have been. In November 1931 Grawitz occurred Heinrich Himmler the SS, four years later appointed it the boss of the and the "realm physician of the SS". As Reichsarzt SS Grawitz Himmler was subordinate directly and was the highest technical instance in all medical and medicalofficial affairs within the SS. Like that it was responsible also for the physicians and the medical conditions in the concentration camps.

1937 were entrusted Grawitz of Adolf Hitler with the management of the German red cross (first Stellvertrender, then acting president). Why calculated the SS-man Grawitz was assigned to 1 January 1937 the German Red Cross guidance, can be explained probably particularly with German war planning. 1936 were for Hitler the "year of the heaviest resolutions", how he called it later, because in this year he had made the final decision to the war of aggression. Far parts of the society had to be adapted to this decision: the army, the industry and not least the German red cross, which represented a crucial factor with its long experience on the area of the war medical service and its large personnel resources for the support of a war of aggression.

In the existing organization form of a union of several legally independent associations the German Red Cross could not be prepared however effectively for this task. The president officiating since 1933, duke Carl Eduard von Saxonia Coburg and Gotha, fulfilled purely representative tasks. With Ernst Robert Grawitz 1937 a man to the side one placed to it, for which the German Red Cross was able to bind personnel to the SS.

Grawitz explained as its office introduction that the German red cross must be "healthier, the life laws of the National Socialist third realm organically inserting building, which has to absolutely meet the requirements posed against it in peace and war and whose organization form and guidance must ensure the possibility and the incentive of the freiwilligen cooperation of far circles of the German people" according to its purpose in accordance with that Geneva agreements.

Already in the middle of the yearly 1937 converted Grawitz the German Red Cross organization without each legal basis in the sense of the publicised "leader principle". The independent land and circle federations became land and circle places, which smashed association structure completely. As legal basis end of the yearly 1937 afterwards the law over the German Red Cross and a new statute were adopted.

Parallel to the reorganization German Red Cross of the interspersed Grawitz the German Red Cross top management with SS-men. Thus he appointed German Red Cross SS-group leader Oswald Pohl, which organized the administration of the SS and gradually also the administration of the concentration camps since 1935 for Himmler the treasurer and later administrative boss. Of first small workshops and enterprises in the concentration camps Pohl composed the Wirtschaftsimperium of the SS, which exploited the KZ-prisoners in their enterprises.

With the approval of Grawitz Pohl of the SS provided million-credits from the cashes of the German red cross, which he passed on in secret transactions as a "plenipotentiary for all financial affairs German Red Cross" at Himmlers of business concerns. Not least therefore concentrated Pohl so far of the individual German Red Cross donations and - money administered organizations on joint accounts, to which only Pohl, Grawitz and their closest coworkers had entrance.

In September 1939 Grawitz explained itself Werner Kirchert according to data of the SS-physician ready to turn off for (later than "action T4 "camouflaged and than "euthanasia "designated murder physically and mentally handicappeds) the SS-physicians. So Grawitz is to have said, it "is not a pleasant task, but one must be also ready to take over unpleasant work however he does not want to load with it the SS outward, although he must make available at least one part of the personnel from the SS. It do not exclude itself from these incommodities and will be ready to accomplish after establishment of the first institute for instituteinstitute the killing of the first spirit patient."

Together with Oswald Pohl was Grawitz personally responsibly for the permission since 1941 of the medical experiments at KZ-prisoners, taking place in the concentration camps. The Reichsarzt SS became the approach place for the requirements of prisoners for medical attempts of most diverse research establishments, like for example the research centre of the army medical inspection and the institute for Robert cook. Research establishments did not however only come closer outside of the SS at Grawitz, also Himmler assigned him planning or coordination of attempts. Grawitz was then personally responsible to Himmler for execution and the results and refunded to the SS constantly on it report.

In the National Socialist race ideology Grawitz' work were not as physician for the red cross and its participation in the murders a contradiction. To be helped should after this ideology all those, as rassisch with high order, when "arisch" were defined. Applied for the "arischen" nut/mother, the "arischen" child and the "arischen" soldier working the National Socialist medical profession, the public health service and not least the activity of the German red cross in the "third realm". All those however, which as inferior were classified, because they Jewish or slawischer origin were, mentally or physically obstructs or because they turned politically against Hitler, thus, because they were made by definition enemies of the "arischen race", all this humans should a humanitarian medical assistance do not assign to become. The medical knowledge of the medical profession was used against it, German physicians experimented with this humans or gave deadly syringes. And also the German red cross as relief organization in war and peace did not want to assist this humans, only some German Red Cross coworkers tried with modest means an illegal assistance to organize.

Seriousness Robert Grawitz, from which man, who extracted himself had integrated the German red cross into the National Socialist apparatus, a punishment by the allied ones. In the last war days of the yearly 1945 it killed itself and its family with a hand grenade. This scene is after-played in the film "the fall "(2004).

Literature

Markus Wicke: SS and German Red Cross. The presidency of the German red cross in the National Socialist rule system 1937 - 1945 VICIA, potsdam 2002, ISBN 3-8311-4125-8

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