Pietro Koch

Pietro Koch (18 August 1918 – 5 June 1945) was an Italian soldier and police officer who lead the Banda Koch (lit. "Koch Gang"), a group notorious for its anti-partisan activity in the Republic of Salo.

Early life and career Koch was born in Benevento in 1918. He was the son of Otto Koch, a former Imperial German Navy officer-turned-wine merchant, and his Italian wife Olga Politi. The family moved to Rome during the 1930s, where Koch attended law school until joining the Royal Italian Army in 1938. He served as a lieutenant in the Grenadiers where he was unpopular with his fellow soldiers and was dismissed from the army in 1939 for insulting a superior officer. In October 1942, he was investigated by authorities for "significant fraudulent activity."

Arrest and execution Mussolini eventually had his close ally Renzo Montagna arrest Koch for his excesses in October 1944.