Chapter Nine

The Men Of SA Koch Decorated

After their triumphal entry into Cologne-Ostheim arodrome on the afternoon of 12 May 1940 the men of SA Koch were brought by lorry to the Cologne suburb of Delbrück. Hauptmann Koch made his official report that all objectives had been met, and then followed the award of the Iron Cross Second Class (EKII)¹ to all men of his assault groups.

Next day the paratroopers were taken to Münster where they were split into their assault groups for the visit of the Commander-in-Chief, Luftflotte 2, General Kesselring, who awarded each man personally the Iron Cross First Class (EKI). Only one paratrooper, Ernst Grechza, a member of assault Group Granit, was not decorated; during the fighting at Fort Eben Emael he was found drunk astride the barrel of a 120-mm gun. Kurt Herse, who had remained behind at Cologne as a “reserve”, told the authors these other interesting details.