• Fortress Eben-Emael

Date of birth:

September 10th, 1910 (Bonn/Rhineprovince, Germany)

Date of death:

October 23rd, 1943 (Berlin/Brandenburg, Germany)

Buried on:

German War Graves Beuel
Grave: 8.

Nationality:

German

Walter Koch finally reached the rank of Oberstleutnant. He died on 23rd October 1943 in a hospital in Berlin beceause of the wounds inflicted in a plane crash in Tunesia. His body was transferred to Bonn and there buried.

Promotions:
?: Leutnant (Landespolizei);
April 20th, 1938: Hauptmann (Luftwaffe);
May 1941: Major;
April 20th, 1942: Oberstleutnant.

Career:
April 3rd, 1929: Landespolizei;
?: Polizeiabteilung z.b.V. Wecke;
November 1939: Fallschirmjäger-Sturm-Abteilung "Koch";
?: I. Bataillon, Luftlande-Sturm-Regiment 1;
March 11th, 1942 - April 21st, 1943: Kommandeur, Fallschirmjäger-Regiment 5.

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Period:

Second World War (1939-1945)

Period:

Second World War (1939-1945)

Period:

Second World War (1939-1945)

Rank:

Hauptmann (Captain)

Unit:

Fallschirmjäger-Sturm-Abteilung “Koch”, 7. Flieger-Division, Luftwaffe

Awarded on:

May 12th, 1940

Awarded for:

Operation Fall Gelb

Period:

Second World War (1939-1945)

Rank:

Hauptmann (Captain)

Unit:

Fallschirmjäger-Sturm-Abteilung “Koch”, 7. Flieger-Division, Luftwaffe

Awarded on:

May 12th, 1940

Awarded for:

Operation Fall Gelb

Period:

Second World War (1939-1945)

Rank:

Hauptmann (Captain)

Unit:

Fallschirmjäger-Sturm-Abteilung “Koch”, 7. Flieger-Division, Luftwaffe

Awarded on:

May 10th, 1940

Awarded for:

Operation Fall Gelb

The following wartime excerpt (dated 30.08.1940) describes why Koch received the Knight’s Cross…

“Major Walter Koch distinguished himself through his brave and fearless devotion to duty during the capture of Fort Eben-Emael (the strongest fortress in Lüttich). He already received the Knight’s Cross on the first day of the German Western offensive and was promoted to the rank of Major by the Führer.”

Period:

Second World War (1939-1945)

Rank:

Major

Unit:

Führer, I. Bataillon, Luftlande-Sturm-Regiment 1, Luftwaffe

Awarded on:

March 31st, 1942

Period:

Second World War (1939-1945)

Rank:

Major

Awarded on:

June 9th, 1941

In the battles in Crete parachute units under the leadership of Major Koch, Hauptmann Altmann and Oberleutnant Genz distinguished themselves through boldness and courage.

Period:

Second World War (1939-1945)

Period:

Second World War (1939-1945)

Awarded on:

1942

• Photo 1: Willi Schumacher Collection
• - FELLGIEBEL, W.P., Elite of theThird Reich, Helion & Company Limited, Solihull, 2003.
  - PATZWALL, K. & SCHERZER, V., Das Deutsche Kreuz 1941-1945, Verlag Klaus D. Patzwall, Norderstedt, 2001.
  - THOMAS, FRANZ & WEGMANN, GÜNTER, Die Ritterkreuzträger der Deutschen Wehrmacht 1939-1945, Biblio-Verlag, 1986.
  - Die Ordensträger der Deutschen Wehrmacht (CD), VMD-Verlag GmbH, Osnabrück, 2002
  - Ritterkreuz Archiv II/2009, Veit Scherzer, Ranis, Juni 2009, ISSN 1866-4709
  - Die Träger des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939-1945
  - Ritterkreuztraeger 1939 - 1945
  

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Fortress Eben-Emael

Eben-Emael (Bassenge) - Liège

Fortress Eben-Emael