Online Encyclopedia
Ilse Koch
Ilse Koch, née Kohler (September 22, 1906 - September 1, 1967), was the wife of Karl Koch, the commandant of the concentration camp Buchenwald. She is infamous for taking souvenirs from the skin of murdered inmates with distinctive tattoos. There is no conclusive evidence, however, for the claim that she made lampshades from human skin. She was better known as "The Bitch of Buchenwald" for her sadistic cruelty toward prisoners.
She was sentenced to a life term in 1947 but released after only 2 years. She was re-arrested in 1949 for killing German nationals and committed suicide in prison in 1967.
Bibliography
- Massimiliano Livi: Ilse Koch. In: War Crimes: A Historical Encyclopedia, by Elizabeth Pugliese and Larry Hufford. ABC-CLIO, Cremona (USA).
External links
- http://www.us-israel.org/jsource/biography/ikoch.html
- http://www.fatherryan.org/holocaust/buchen/Ilsekoch.htm
Last updated: 11-08-2004 00:11:51