As men were sent to fight in the war, the Nazis had to employ women as guards at their death camps.

As men were sent to fight in the war, the Nazis had to employ women as guards at their death camps. 

As men were sent to fight in the war, the Nazis had to employ women as guards at their death camps. One of the most infamous of these female guards was Ilse Koch.

With her husband, Karl Koch, Ilse served as the well-known “Bitch of Buchenwald.” At the war’s end, Ilse was sentenced to life in prison for her role in the torture and extermination of prisoners at this notorious concentration camp.

Koch was accused of taking particular macabre trophies from the bodies of inmates — it was claimed that she had a penchant for lampshades, book covers, and other items purportedly made from the skin of murdered prisoners, allegedly choosing victims with distinctive tattoos for this purpose. 

These allegations were part of the testimony in the post-war trials that saw Koch convicted for her war crimes. The stark horror of these actions encapsulated the depravity exhibited within the concentration camps.

In her indictment, the prosecutor described Ilse Koch as “a sexy-looking depraved woman who beat prisoners, reported them for beatings, and trafficked human skin