You might think that the Koch family passed this story down through the generations like a gilded heirloom. On the contrary, we never knew it happened.
When Joe Koch visited Fr. Viktor in June 1945, he sensed a pall falling over his uncle at points in the conversation, and noticed a shift in topic when he asked about wartime experiences. It puzzled Joe enough to question American peacekeepers stationed in Schwarzenfeld.
“One of the guards (American) who got to know Fr. Viktor very well told me he has gone thru a lot more than he will talk about, as he talked to different people in the town. Just what it was I nor no one will know for he just won’t talk about it. He always gives the same story, it was a hard life but he was thankful no harm came to him.”
—Joe Koch to mother Fannie Koch, Koenigstein (June 23, 1945)
Fr. Viktor returned to his hometown of Sharon, Pennsylvania in 1947. He never breathed a word about the 48-hour ordeal, not even to his closest relations. When he died in Schwarzenfeld on December 15, 1955, at age 83, surrounded by parishioners and Passionists who revered him, no one outside the Bavarian town knew of the role he played in its salvation.
This story nearly passed out of all knowledge. It was saved by one man: an American WWII veteran named Ed Pancoast.
As a young soldier, Ed arrived in Europe after D-Day as part of Patton’s Third Army. After the war he and his wife Eunice lived in Germany for a few years and spent time in Schwarzenfeld, where they befriended Zita Mueller. Even when Ed and Eunice returned home to the States, they kept close ties with Zita and her husband Karlhans—though they always avoided discussing the war out of a tacit understanding that this topic revived painful memories.
That changed in 1997.
Ed and Eunice visited Schwarzenfeld during a European vacation. They must have visited the Miesberg and discovered the plaque that the Schwarzenfelders affixed to the church. This likely prompted Ed to ask Zita, “Who was Fr. Viktor Koch, and what happened on April 22, 1945?” The story that nearly slid out of the history books was resurrected on that day.
Fr. Viktor’s story entranced Ed. Upon returning to his home in Chevy Chase, Maryland, he made contacts in the Passionist order, visited the National Archives in Washington, D.C., and began researching Zita’s spiritual hero. He also began a fervent search for the Koch family. He had shreds of a story and knew that it would take a massive research project to recover all the missing pieces. It was his fondest wish that Fr. Viktor’s story be memorialized in a novel—or a movie.
Inspired by Saving Private Ryan, Ed wrote letters to Stephen Spielberg and Tom Hanks telling them about Fr. Viktor and the 48-hour ultimatum. He was crestfallen when he never heard back.
By 2003, at age 78, it was clear that he lacked the energy to commit himself to a monumental research and writing effort. He’d tried to find the Koch family—and much to his dismay, he had failed. Abandoning all hope, he packed his files into an envelope, addressed it to the Sharon Genealogical Society, and mailed it off in hopes of the city acknowledging its native son.
That’s when everything changed.
Fr. Viktor’s story electrified Sharon’s historians. They contacted reporters at the Sharon Herald, which published an article.
In the summer of 2003, a whole new generation of Koch relatives opened the newspaper and learned about Fr. Viktor’s 48-hour ordeal through sheer coincidence.
We reached out to Ed, who was overjoyed to finally hear from us. At that point, he passed the torch to me.
During the 20-year research and writing mission that followed, I penned a peer-reviewed journal paper that covers the bare-bones history behind Fr. Viktor’s story—and an article revealing the incredible journey that happened behind the scenes. I invite you to give both a read.
An American Priest in Nazi Germany: The Story of Fr. Viktor Koch, C.P.
Gathered Fragments, Fall 2014, Vol. XXIV »
Recovering Family History: Researching Fr. Viktor Koch, C.P.
Gathered Fragments, Fall 2014, Vol. XXIV »
For me, it wasn’t enough to recount dry historical facts. I wanted to live the history in my mind and walk in the shoes of well-crafted characters as they experience the sights and sounds and grief and tumult of the time period. I wanted to understand the oppression and hardships faced by people who lived in Nazi Germany—especially in Schwarzenfeld. Most of all, I wanted to share the stories and insights that took me completely by surprise, and broadened my perspectives of the time period. For all these reasons (and more besides), I wrote The Sower of Black Field. I hope you’ll be inspired to pick up a copy.
This is the final post for the Remembering History series. Thanks for reading! I truly hoped you all enjoyed it.
Useful reminders
This post is part of a month-long series reflecting upon historical events that contributed to my debut historical fiction novel, The Sower of Black Field. Visit the “Latest News” area on my website for a recap »
The Sower of Black Field is available in paperback, eBook / Kindle, and audiobook on Amazon. Get your copy »
