Ilse Koch

German war criminal, wife of camp commandant Karl-Otto Koch (1906–1967)

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Lived 1906–1967, aged 61Germany

Germany PoliticiansPolitician

Fame41.9
Momentum2.6
Germany rank#44
Wikipedia63K

Wikipedia
41 languages
Cross-language footprint
Rank in Germany
#44
Politicians
Era
1906–1967
Aged 61

Summary

Updated 2026-05-29

Became one of WWII's most infamous figures despite holding no official Nazi position, known for atrocities at Buchenwald where her husband was commandant. The "Kommandeuse" gained notoriety that outlasted the war itself.

Biography

About

Margarete Ilse Koch was a German war criminal who committed atrocities while her husband Karl-Otto Koch was the commandant at Buchenwald. Though Ilse Koch had no official position in Nazi Germany, she became one of the most infamous Nazi figures at the war's end and was referred to as the "Kommandeuse of Buchenwald".

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