Theodor Koch (13 May 1905 – 21 October 1976) was a German
engineer
Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who Invention, invent, design, build, maintain and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials. They aim to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while ...
,
investor
An investor is a person who allocates financial capital with the expectation of a future Return on capital, return (profit) or to gain an advantage (interest). Through this allocated capital the investor usually purchases some species of pr ...
and
weapons manufacturer, born in
Zuffenhausen
Zuffenhausen is one of three northernmost boroughs of the city of Stuttgart, capital of the German state of Baden-Württemberg. The borough is primarily an incorporation of the formerly independent townships Zuffenhausen, Zazenhausen, Neuwirtshaus ...
,
Germany
Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
. As a young man, Koch apprenticed as a
precision mechanic. After completing his apprenticeship he attended an engineering school in Esslingen. In 1924 he started work for
Mauser
Mauser, originally the Königlich Württembergische Gewehrfabrik, was a German arms manufacturer. Their line of bolt-action rifles and semi-automatic pistols was produced beginning in the 1870s for the German armed forces. In the late 19th and ...
in an arms factory in
Oberndorf as an engineer and stayed with them until 1945, when the
French Army
The French Army, officially known as the Land Army (, , ), is the principal Army, land warfare force of France, and the largest component of the French Armed Forces; it is responsible to the Government of France, alongside the French Navy, Fren ...
destroyed the factory since it was responsible for manufacturing several thousand firearms to the German Army. During World War II Koch also signed up to become a ''
Fördermitglied'' (financier) of the
SS. He was described as a "non-engaged
National Socialist
Nazism (), formally named National Socialism (NS; , ), is the far-right totalitarian socio-political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Germany. During Hitler's rise to power, it was frequen ...
" by historian Stefanie van de Kerkhof, as his political role in the party was minimal and he primarily supported the nazis through financial means.
After the fall of Germany to the Allied Forces at the
end of World War II the Mauser factory was dismantled. Koch,
Edmund Heckler and
Alex Seidel
Alex Seidel (4 July 1909 – 24 October 1989) was a German weapons manufacturer and the co-founder of Heckler & Koch
Heckler & Koch GmbH (HK or H&K; ) is a German firearms manufacturer that produces handguns, rifles, submachine guns, and gr ...
saved what they could and used it to found
Heckler & Koch
Heckler & Koch GmbH (HK or H&K; ) is a German firearms manufacturer that produces handguns, rifles, submachine guns, and grenade launchers. The company is located in Oberndorf am Neckar, Baden-Württemberg and also has subsidiaries in the United ...
.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Koch, Theodor
German company founders
20th-century German businesspeople
1905 births
1976 deaths
Businesspeople from Stuttgart