Hans Koch

Hans Koch (August 13, 1912 – July 14, 1955) was an SS-Unterscharführer and member of staff at Auschwitz concentration camp. He was prosecuted at the Auschwitz Trial.

Koch was born in Tangerhütte, German Empire. He worked as a laboratory assistant. He joined the Nazi Party in 1937. A member of the SS, he was at Auschwitz from 1940 to 1945. On the basis of his professional background, he worked in the medical department dealing with disinfection. One of his responsibilities (along with SS-Oberscharführer Josef Klehr among others) was to insert the Zyklon B into the gas chambers. Koch later said that after participating in a gassing, he was unable to sleep without drinking large quantities of alcohol beforehand.