Walter Koch ( Fallschirmjäger ) Walter Koch ( 10 September 1910 – 23 October 1943 ) was a highly - decorated commander of the Fallschirmjäger during World War II who died in mysterious circumstances after openly criticising Adolf Hitler . Koch , who was the recipient of the Knight ' s Cross of the Iron Cross for his actions during the Battle of Fort Eben - Emael in May 1940 had publicly denounced the Führer ' s infamous Commando Order , which ordered that all captured enemy commandos were to be executed . Shortly afterwards the " Oberstleutnant " and commander of " Fallschirmjäger - Regiment 5 " died in Berlin from injuries allegedly resulting from a motor vehicle collision . Early career . Walter Koch joined the " Landespolizei " as an officer in 3 April 1929 . As a " Leutnant " he had served in the state police and a police battalion for special purposes ( " Polizeiabteilung z . b . V . Wecke " ) . In 1935 the new commander - in - chief of the Luftwaffe , Hermann Göring , transferred this police unit into the reformed Luftwaffe and renamed it the Regiment " General Göring " . Airborne service . Koch was promoted to " Hauptmann " ( Captain ) on 20 April 1938 . He was then tasked with training a special commando unit dubbed Koch Parachute Assault Battalion ( " Fallschirmjäger - Sturm - Abteilung " Koch " " ) for operations in the west . When " Fall Gelb " began in May 1940 , his troops saw action during the opening phase of the Battle of France during assaults on the Belgian fortress Eben - Emael , the Maas river and Albert Canal bridges . Koch ' s commandos successfully captured Fort Eben - Emael and the bridges in Veldwezelt and Vroenhoeven . Only the bridge at Kanne , which was blown up by the Belgian defenders , was not taken by the German paratroopers . For these successful operations , Walter Koch along with ten other " Wehrmacht " officers received the Knight ' s Cross of the Iron Cross ( ) . By May 1941 , Koch was promoted to Major and given the command of the re - designated I Battalion , 1st Parachute Assault Regiment ( " I . / Fallschirmjäger - Sturm - Regiment 1 " ) The battalion was part of the first attacking airborne waves during the Battle of Crete . Koch led the attack using 53 DFS 230 troop - carrying gliders . Their target was the village of Maleme on the western coast of Crete because its small coastal airfield and Hill 107 commanded the approaches to the island ' s capital . The German troops faced the New Zealanders of 5 Brigade ' s 22nd Battalion , with other battalions close behind , under the command of Brigadier Edward Puttick . Although Koch was wounded in the head in the battle for Hill 107 on the first day , his airborne troops quickly achieved their targets . Koch was promoted to " Oberstleutnant " ( Lieutenant Colonel ) on 20 April 1942 . He and the 5th Parachute Regiment ( " Fallschirmjäger - Regiment 5 " ) were transferred to Tunisia in mid November 1942 . Opposition to the Commando Order . In his regiment ' s first African engagement two weeks later , Koch ' s troops encountered the British 2nd Parachute Battalion under the command of Lieutenant - Colonel John Dutton Frost at Depienne Airfield 53 km southwest of Tunis . Frost had left a number of injured men under the protection of a single platoon behind at the airfield while he and his forces went on to other targets . On their discovery , the British paratroopers were quickly captured by Koch ' s troops and made prisoners of war ( POW ) . The German commander then ordered his medics to treat the wounded . Before leaving , he ensured that the prisoners were given food and water , and even cigarettes , before handing them over to other Axis ground forces . However Koch and the commander of the I Battalion , 5th Parachute Regiment " Hauptmann " Hans Jungwirth returned just in time to stop the machine gunning of the captured British soldiers . After a heated debate with another German officer about the Commando Order , Koch managed to obtain adequate treatment for the allies prisoners who were instead transferred to a POW camp . Death . Shortly after stopping the killing of POWs in North Africa , Koch was wounded in the head . The highly - experienced combat leader was sent back to Germany to recover from his wounds ; while there he was placed in the " Führerreserve " . While convalescing he was involved in car accident , he died in a Berlin Hospital from these injuries in October 1943 . However many in his regiment believed that this was no accident and he had been most likely killed by the " SS - Reichssicherheitshauptamt " because of his outspoken criticism of the Commando Order .