--- title: "Ernst Gräwe" description: "The story of Ernst Wilhelm Johannes Gräwe, a German Luftwaffe medic who was executed in Deventer on April 10, 1945, after refusing to shoot Dutch resistance fighters." url: "https://www.normandy1944.info/stories/ernst-graewe" date: "2026-10-01T15:25:18+00:00" language: "en-GB" --- ![Ernst Gräwe](https://www.normandy1944.info/media/yootheme/cache/08/Ernst-Gra%CC%88we-Luftwaffe-Deventer-Twentol-082b2125.jpg?src=images/veterans/german/ernst_graewe/Ernst-Gra%CC%88we-Luftwaffe-Deventer-Twentol.jpg&thumbnail=240,300,&hash=508cfeb8) # WW2 veteran Ernst Gräwe - German - Feldwebel - Fallschirm Sanitäts Abteilung 6, Luftwaffe - Deventer - April 10, 1945 - Survived? No ![Luftwaffe](https://www.normandy1944.info/images/patches/German-Luftwaffe-cloth-badge.png) #### Luftwaffe ## The conscience of a soldier ### A childhood in Unna **Ernst Wilhelm Johannes Gräwe** was born on October 1, 1914, in the German town of Unna. He was the eldest son of **Ernst** and M**aria Elisabeth Gräwe** (born Witte). His childhood was shaped by a stable and loving family life. Ernst grew up alongside his younger brother Erich and sister Anna, in a home where music and education were deeply valued. His parents ran a small fur trading business and Ernst, bright and talented, became known for his skill on the accordion, a reflection of the warmth and culture that surrounded him. In time, he married Hildegard Latta. Together, they welcomed a son, Udo, who became the center of their world. But the war would take everything from them. ### Called to war Ernst's military journey began in 1936 when he was drafted into the German armed forces. He served his initial two years in a Flak artillery regiment in Kochstedt, near Dessau and returned to civilian life in 1938. But as tensions in Europe escalated, he was recalled in early 1939 to serve again, this time with Flak Regiment 44 in Lippstadt. His career progressed steadily and in 1943, Ernst volunteered for the Luftwaffe. He later joined the elite 6th Parachute Division's medical unit, the Fallschirm-Sanitäts-Abteilung 6 and was stationed in the Netherlands during the final, desperate months of the war. ### Military honors He received military honors, including the Sudetenland Commemorative Medal and the War Cross 2nd Class with Swords. By rank, he had advanced to Feldwebel. But his true character would not be revealed in medals, it would be revealed in defiance. ### Deventer April 10, 1945 In April 1945, the war was in its final throes. Canadian forces were advancing across the Netherlands and the city of Deventer, still under German occupation, stood on the brink of liberation. Dutch resistance fighters had entrenched themselves inside a tar and oil factory named Twentol, hoping to protect a critical bridge over the Overijssel Canal from demolition. During the night of April 9 to 10, a firefight broke out between the resistance and German troops. Two of the young fighters died in a fire inside the building. The remaining five were captured early that morning. By dawn on April 10, the war in Deventer was nearly over. Canadian troops were just 45 minutes away. Yet the German command, determined to make one final display of authority, sentenced the five resistance fighters (**Cornélia van Baalen Bosch**, **Joost Wander Westland van Baalen**, **Jacob Jan Bennebroek Evertsz**, **Harry E.R.O. Engels** and **Marinus Woertman**) to death by firing squad. Ernst Gräwe, the medic in the company, was selected to participate in the execution. **But Ernst refused.** He would not raise his weapon against unarmed men. He would not be a part of the killing. His commanding officer reacted swiftly and mercilessly. For disobeying a direct order, Ernst was shot through the head on the spot, his life ended in the final hour before liberation. On that same day April 10, 1945 about 45 minutes later, Canadian troops entered Deventer. The war was over. ### Loss upon loss The cost of war was not only Ernst’s own life. Just one day earlier, on April 9, his young son Udo had died of pneumonia. The two deaths, so tragically close, left Hildegard, Ernst’s widow, alone in the ruins of war. Years later, in 1952, she would remarry and rebuild her life, but the grief of those spring days in 1945 would never fully fade away. ### Burial and remembrance Ernst Gräwe was first buried in the Nieuwe Algemene Begraafplaats in Diepenveen, a district of Deventer. In 1949, his remains were reinterred at the German military cemetery in Ysselsteyn. His grave can still be found there today in block BP 12-276. After the war, the story of the executions and Ernst’s defiance became known as the “Twentol drama.” In its aftermath, a memorial wall was erected at the site of the slaughterhouse where the executions took place. When the wall was later demolished, the monument was rebuilt at Twentolplein in Deventer. It stands today as a place of quiet reflection. Among the names of the seven Dutch resistance fighters, a separate black plaque bears a different kind of tribute. It honors Ernst Gräwe, the German soldier who refused to kill. > **“The German Ernst Gräwe, who refused to take part in the execution and whose life came to a violent end here, also deserves respect.”** Beside the memorial stands a weeping willow, a living symbol of sorrow and peace and of the moral stand taken by one man in the face of cruelty. ### A legacy of courage In war, countless lives are reduced to statistics. But Ernst Wilhelm Johannes Gräwe reminds us that within those numbers are individuals who made impossible choices. He could have followed orders. He could have fired. But he didn’t. And because of that choice, he is remembered, not for the medals on his uniform, but for the humanity he held onto in his final moments. His name now stands in stone, not as a symbol of power, but as a beacon of principle. In refusing to kill, Ernst Gräwe laid down his life to preserve something even more sacred than survival: his soul. Ernst's grandson **Jens Junkersdorf** is the owner of the images on this page. They are used with permission. --- ### Luftwaffe The **Luftwaffe** (commanded by [**Hermann Göring**](https://www.normandy1944.info/home/commanders/life-and-death-of-hermann-goering)) was Nazi Germany’s air force and played a central role in World War II. After Germany's defeat in World War I, the Treaty of Versailles banned military aviation, leading to the disbandment of earlier air arms. Despite this, Germany secretly trained pilots in the Soviet Union during the interwar years. With the rise of the Nazi regime, the Luftwaffe was officially established on February 26, 1935, as part of Hitler’s broader rearmament plan. It soon gained combat experience in the Spanish Civil War, where the Condor Legion tested tactics and aircraft that would shape its early success. At the start of World War II in 1939, the Luftwaffe was one of the most advanced air forces in the world. It played a key role in Germany’s early victories in Poland and Western Europe. However, its failure to defeat the Royal Air Force during the Battle of Britain marked the beginning of its decline. The Luftwaffe continued fighting on multiple fronts over the Soviet Union, North Africa, and Europe but from 1942 onward, it suffered heavy losses from Allied bombing, fuel shortages, and a lack of trained pilots. Despite deploying advanced jet and rocket aircraft late in the war, the Luftwaffe could not counter the overwhelming power of Allied air forces. A final push during the Battle of the Bulge in 1945 failed, and the Luftwaffe ceased to function as an effective force. After Germany’s surrender, it was disbanded in 1946. Throughout the war, German pilots claimed around 70,000 aerial victories, while the Luftwaffe lost over 75,000 aircraft. Its two commanders were Hermann Göring and, briefly, Robert Ritter von Greim. The Luftwaffe was also complicit in Nazi war crimes. Many of its aircraft were built using forced labor from concentration camps, and its demand for labor contributed to the deportation and murder of Hungarian Jews. It frequently bombed civilian targets and was involved in atrocities across occupied Europe. Though once a symbol of Nazi military might, the Luftwaffe ultimately exemplified the regime’s moral and strategic collapse. [](#) [](#) ###### Veteran's personal file ![Luftwaffe Medic Feldwebel collar rank](https://www.normandy1944.info/media/yootheme/cache/10/Luftwaffe-Deventer-Collar-Tabs-Medic-10bdb09b.png?src=images/patches/Luftwaffe-Deventer-Collar-Tabs-Medic.png&thumbnail=250,195,&hash=50976ad2) Luftwaffe Medic Feldwebel collar rank Commander of the Luftwaffe was Hermann Göring --- #### Veteran's death record - April 10, 1945 - Ysselsteyn, Venray Municipality, Limburg, Netherland - BP-12-276 The compilation and structure of this website are protected by copyright. The historical stories and personal accounts published here remain the sole intellectual property of the individuals who shared them. No content may be reproduced without prior permission from the webmaster. [ Add your story ](https://www.normandy1944.info/contact) --- Updated on: 01 October 2026 --- ###### Ernst Gräwe's personal photographs Click on a picture for enlargement --- [ ![Luftwaffe uniform eagle](https://www.normandy1944.info/images/patches/German-Luftwaffe-cloth-badge.png)Luftwaffe uniform eagle ](https://www.normandy1944.info/images/patches/German-Luftwaffe-cloth-badge.png) [ ![Luftwaffe Medic Feldwebel collar rank](https://www.normandy1944.info/images/patches/Luftwaffe-Deventer-Collar-Tabs-Medic.png)Luftwaffe Medic Feldwebel collar rank ](https://www.normandy1944.info/images/patches/Luftwaffe-Deventer-Collar-Tabs-Medic.png) [ ![Ernst Gräwe and his wife Hildegard Bernhardine Gräwe, born Latta, probably during his last home leave sometime in 1943 or later. Picture: Jens Junkersdorf](https://www.normandy1944.info/images/veterans/german/ernst_graewe/Ernst-Gra%CC%88we-and-his-wife-Hildegard-Bernhardine-Gra%CC%88we.jpg)Ernst Gräwe and his wife Hildegard Bernhardine Gräwe, born Latta, probably during his last home leave sometime in 1943 or later. Picture: Jens Junkersdorf ](https://www.normandy1944.info/images/veterans/german/ernst_graewe/Ernst-Gra%CC%88we-and-his-wife-Hildegard-Bernhardine-Gra%CC%88we.jpg) [ ![Ernst Gräwe (left) was a paramedic on the Western Front. Picture: Jens Junkersdorf](https://www.normandy1944.info/images/veterans/german/ernst_graewe/Ernst-Gra%CC%88we-Luftwaffe-Deventer-friend.jpg)Ernst Gräwe (left) was a paramedic on the Western Front. Picture: Jens Junkersdorf ](https://www.normandy1944.info/images/veterans/german/ernst_graewe/Ernst-Gra%CC%88we-Luftwaffe-Deventer-friend.jpg) [ ![Ernst Gräwe's Soldbuch. He was a soldier from 1936 and served as a paramedic. Picture: Jens Junkersdorf](https://www.normandy1944.info/images/veterans/german/ernst_graewe/Ernst-Gra%CC%88we-Luftwaffe-Deventer-Soldbuch.jpg)Ernst Gräwe's Soldbuch. He was a soldier from 1936 and served as a paramedic. Picture: Jens Junkersdorf ](https://www.normandy1944.info/images/veterans/german/ernst_graewe/Ernst-Gra%CC%88we-Luftwaffe-Deventer-Soldbuch.jpg) [ ![Twentol grounds in Deventer where Ernst Gräwe was executed by his commanding officer.](https://www.normandy1944.info/images/veterans/german/ernst_graewe/Twentol-factory-Deventer-where-Ernst-Gra%CC%88we-was-executed.jpg)Twentol grounds in Deventer where Ernst Gräwe was executed by his commanding officer ](https://www.normandy1944.info/images/veterans/german/ernst_graewe/Twentol-factory-Deventer-where-Ernst-Gra%CC%88we-was-executed.jpg) [ ![Ernst Gräwe's tombstone at Ysselsteyn Cemetery in The Neterhlands](https://www.normandy1944.info/images/veterans/german/ernst_graewe/Ernst-Gra%CC%88we-grave-Ysselstein.png)Ernst Gräwe's tombstone at Ysselsteyn Cemetery in The Neterhlands ](https://www.normandy1944.info/images/veterans/german/ernst_graewe/Ernst-Gra%CC%88we-grave-Ysselstein.png) Ernst Gräwe's personal medals ![Sudetenland Medal](https://www.normandy1944.info/media/yootheme/cache/00/Sudetenland-Medal-004a9740.png?src=images/medals/germany/Sudetenland-Medal.png&thumbnail=185,257,&hash=f4042e2b)Sudetenland Medal ![War Cross 2nd Class with Swords](https://www.normandy1944.info/media/yootheme/cache/cc/Kriegsverdienstkreuz-2e-Klasse-mit-Schwertern-ccc80f25.png?src=images/medals/germany/Kriegsverdienstkreuz-2e-Klasse-mit-Schwertern.png&thumbnail=185,257,&hash=cc37a1e3)War Cross 2nd Class with Swords [](#) [](#) #### Cite this historical page I aim to provide accurate, open-access accurate historical records. 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