WW2 Fallschirmjager Jump Smock, Walter Koch

World War Two German Luftwaffe Fallschirmjager M1938 Jump Suit belonging to Oberstleutnant Walter Koch. Cotton canvas construction with woven green and orange thread. One piece "step in" model introduced in 1938. Zippered front closure with two zippered flap front pockets sewn luftwaffe breast eagle. Good field worn condition with wear.

Walter Koch (1910-1943) was arguably the most famous paratrooper at the beginning of WWII, leading the surprise raid against the Belgian Fortress Eben-Emael during the opening phase of the Battle of France in May 1940, for which he as awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross in the presence of Adolf Hitler. His Commando unit was known as the "Koch Parachute Assault Battalion" (Fallschirmjager-Sturm-Abteilung Koch"). In May of 1941 Koch was promoted to Major of the 1st Battalion, 1st Parachute Assault Regiment (1/Luftlande-Sturm-Regiment 1) and led the first elements of the Airborne Assault against the Island of Crete, where he was wounded early in combat against the vlllage of Maleme and the storming of Hill 107. He was promoted again to Lt. Colonel (Oberstleutnant) in April 1942, and in mid- November he was sent to Tunisia with the 5th Parachute Regiment. Just two weeks later his unit engaged the British 2nd Parachute Battalion under Lt. Colonel John Dutton Frost (later of "Pegasus Bridge" fame) at Depienne Airfield. Some of Frost's wounded men, left behind with a single platoon, were captured, and Lt. Col. Koch had his medics treat the wounded before turning them over to regular German ground forces. Unbeknownst to Koch, these ground forces had prepared to execute the prisoners under the provisions of the "Commando Order" (Kommandobefehl)--the order to kill all Allied commandos immediately-- and arrived back just in time to stop the execution, demanding that they receive adequate treatment and be sent to a POW Camp. Due to another head injury suffered on this campaign, Koch returned to Germany, but after hospitalization was placed on "Fuhrerreserve" because of his outspoken criticism of the Commando Order. He died in a Berlin hospital on 23 October 1943 from injuries suffered in a road accident--one that many of those who had served under him were convinced "was no accident."