Karl Otto Koch (1897-1945) was an SS officer who joined the Nazi party and SS in 1931. He worked in many of the early camps before becoming the commandant of Buchenwald when it was established. He and his wife, Ilse Koch, were infamous for their particular cruelty. In late 1941, he was transferred to Majdanek concentration camp, and he was also subject of an SS investigation for corruption. He was found guilty and sentenced to death by an SS court, and killed by firing squad in April 1945.