Erich Koch

Erich Koch
Koch in 1941
Gauleiter of Gau East Prussia
In office 1 October 1928 – 23 April 1945
Leader	Adolf Hitler
Preceded by	Hans Albert Hohnfeldt (acting)
Succeeded by	Position Abolished
Oberpräsident of East Prussia
In office 2 June 1933 – 23 April 1945
Preceded by	Wilhelm Kutscher
Succeeded by	Position Abolished
Reichskommissar for Ukraine
In office 1 September 1941 – 10 November 1944
Appointed by	Adolf Hitler
Preceded by	Position Established
Succeeded by	Position Abolished
Reichskommissar for the Ostland
In office 21 September 1944 – 21 January 1945 (de facto ousted 13 October 1944)
Appointed by	Adolf Hitler
Preceded by	Hinrich Lohse
Succeeded by	Position Abolished
Personal details
Born	19 June 1896 Elberfeld, German Empire
Died	12 November 1986 (aged 90) Barczewo Prison, Barczewo, Polish People's Republic
Political party	Nazi Party
Conviction(s)	War crimes
Criminal penalty	Death; commuted to life imprisonment
Military service
Allegiance	German Empire
Branch/service	Imperial German Army Freikorps Rossbach
Years of service	1915–1918
Battles/wars	World War I

Erich Koch (19 June 1896 – 12 November 1986) was a Gauleiter of the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in East Prussia from 1 October 1928 until 1945. Between 1941 and 1945 he was Chief of Civil Administration (Chef der Zivilverwaltung) of Bezirk Bialystok. During this period, he was also the Reichskommissar in Reichskommissariat Ukraine from September 1941 until August 1944 and in Reichskommissariat Ostland from September 1944. After the Second World War, Koch stood trial in Poland and was convicted in 1959 of war crimes and sentenced to death. The sentence was later commuted to life in prison and Koch died of natural causes in his cell at the Barczewo prison on 12 November 1986.