Ilsa Koch, a Nazi concentration camp supervisor also referred to as the “Bitch of Buchenwald,” carried out a number of heinous crimes during her time at the Buchenwald concentration camp. She committed some of the most disturbing acts, including sexually abusing prisoners, especially young men. She would often force prisoners to engage in sexual activity with her and take great pleasure in making them feel degraded and humiliated.
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Koch was well known for her brutal treatment of prisoners in addition to his sexual abuse of her. For her own amusement, she regularly gave orders to whip, beat, and torture prisoners at the camp. Her preferred method of punishment was to tie prisoners to poles and whip them until they were nearly dead. Then she would give the order to drench them in oil, set them on fire, and burn them alive.
Collecting tattooed skin of executed prisoners was another obsession of Koch’s; she collected and used it to create decorative items. Koch had an entire room devoted to her collection because it was so large.
Even other Nazi officers were horrified by her actions because they were so brutal and sadistic. Koch was ultimately arrested and put on trial for her crimes, but after a contentious trial, she was found not guilty. Nevertheless, she has lived to this day as one of the most barbarous and sadistic figures of the Nazi reign of terror.