Captain Fritz Gruber

Hauptmann Fritz Gruber is a fictional character who appeared in the 1960's sitcom Hogan's Heroes. He was played by Dick Wilson.

Captain Fritz Gruber was first brought to Stalag 13, probably sometime in 1943, to serve as Colonel Klink's adjutant, an office he would hold off and on throughout the rest of the war. Though little is known of Gruber prior to this, he was clearly competent despite his tendency to keep a low profile. At one point however, the junior officer almost got to replace the hapless Klink as Kommandant, the latter having been tricked into volunteering himself for combat at the Russian Front. It was there that Gruber proved to be much tougher than Klink, and harder to manipulate, as Colonel Hogan and his men discovered when Gruber severely punished the POWs after one of them spoke out of turn, causing Schultz to comment behind his back, "Boy is he a sweetheart!". Gruber's ruthlessness shocked Klink, and left no small impression upon General Burkhalter. After a surprise roll call forced the Heroes to acknowledge Gruber as a real threat to their operation, the wily Hogan first staged an escape for three of his men (LeBeau,Newkirk,and Carter), then after Gruber failed to find them, prompted Klink to strike a deal with Burkhalter: he would track down the "escapees" in exchange for the general rescinding Klink's transfer and restoring his command. With Hogan's secret help, Klink kept his end of the bargain, and was set up as Kommandant again.

Not long afterwards, while Gruber was away on leave to Berlin, Hogan impersonated him at a party being given by General von Behler in Hammelburg in order to gain access to valuable information for the Allies from the General's daughter Hedy. Hogan was successful although he was almost caught by Klink when the Kommandant unexpectedly crashed von Behler's gathering. Klink however was fooled into thinking not only that his adjutant had been at the same party, but that the officer was actually courting von Behler's daughter. When Klink went back to Stalag 13 to be greeted by the real Gruber who had also returned, the Kommandant tweeked him about attending General von Behler's party in Hammelburg when he said he was going to Berlin, as well as his involvement with said general's daughter. Naturally confused, Gruber denied ever having been at the party or even knowing von Behler and his daughter, but Klink thought the officer was just covering for reasons of discretion and left it at that, much to Hogan's relief.

On another occasion when the Kommandant was reported kidnapped by the underground, the adjutant became vaguely suspicious when Hogan appeared to display more knowledge about the abduction than a POW should have. Fortunately for Hogan, Gruber was distracted before too many questions were asked.

Nothing is known of what happened to Gruber after the war.