Zollgrenzschutz

Zollgrenzschutz (ZGS) (lit. 'Customs Border Guards') was an organization under the German Finance Ministry from 1937 to 1945. It was charged with guarding Germany's borders, acting as a combination Border Patrol and Customs & Immigration service.

Customs Border Guards

Zollgrenzschutz
On the far left, an Oberzollrat of the Zollgrenzschutz
Agency overview
Formed	1918
Dissolved	8 May 1945
Type	Paramilitary border guards
Jurisdiction	Germany
Agency executive	Minister of the Reich Finance Administration General Inspector of the Customs Border Guards
Parent agency	Reich Financial Administration

History

It originated in the early 19th century as a tariff enforcement unit of the Prussian government. Reorganized in 1919 under the Weimar Republic following World War I, it gradually became more militarized and transformed into a paramilitary force, also due to the economic woes of blockade, inflation and Great Depression.

In Nazi Germany it was reformed again in 1937 by Fritz Reinhardt, a State Secretary of the Finance Ministry. It came to comprise about 50,000 officials. The Border Police (Grenzpolizei), which had the tasks of passport and border control, was different from the Customs Border Guards (Zollgrenzschutz).

Heinrich Himmler tried to bring the Zollgrenzschutz under the control of the Schutzstaffel (SS), which was unsuccessful at first. During the war, the units were used in occupied territories outside of Germany. A significant portion of younger officials were recruited to the Wehrmacht, leaving the Zollgrenzschutz with older men. After the 20 July 1944 assassination attempt on Hitler, the units were taken out of the control of the Finance Ministry and placed under Amt IV (Gestapo) of the Reich Security Main Office (RSHA).

It was deactivated at the end of World War II in Europe when Germany was partitioned.

Grades

Collar insignia	Shoulder insignia	ZGS Rank	Translation	Heer equivalent
		Reichsminister der Finanzen	Reich Minister of Finance	Generaloberst
		Staatssekretär	State Secretary	General der Waffengattung
		Generalinspekteur des Zollgrenzschutzes Ministerialdirektor	General Inspector of the Customs Border Guards Ministerial Director	Generalleutnant
		Oberfinanzpräsident	Senior Finance President	Generalmajor
		Ministerialrat Finanzpräsident	Ministerial Counsellor Finance President	Oberst
		Oberregierungsrat	Senior Government Counsellor	Oberstleutnant
		Zollamtmann Zollrat Oberzollrat Regierungsrat	Customs Official Customs Counsellor Senior Customs Counsellor Government Counsellor	Major
		Oberzollinspektor Regierungsassessor Regierungsrat with less than three years in the grade	Senior Customs Inspector Government Assessor Government Counsellor with less than three years in the grade	Hauptmann
		Zollinspektor	Customs Inspector	Oberleutnant
		Oberzollsekretär	Senior Customs Secretary	Leutnant
		Zollsekretär Hilfzollsekretär	Customs Secretary	Stabsfeldwebel
		Zollassistent Hilfzollassistent	Customs Assistant	Oberfeldwebel
		Zollbetriebsassistent Hilfszollbetriebsassistent	Customs Operations Assistant	Feldwebel
		Zolloberwachtmeister	Customs Senior Watch Master	Unteroffizier
		Zollwachtmeister	Customs Watch Master	Gefreiter Obergefreiter
		Zollgrenzangestellter	Customs Border Employee	Schütze

• Ranks in italics with the prefix Hilfs- belonged to the Zollgrenzschutz-Reserve (ZGS-Reserve) (Customs Border Guards), formerly the Verstärkter Grenzaufsichtsdienst (VGAD) (Reinforced Border Inspection Service).

Bibliography

Chiussi, Tommaso (2023). Zollgrenzschutz: Border Guards on the Frontier of the Reich, Hauptzollamt Villach, 1941-1945. Schiffer Publishing. ISBN 9780764367052.

External links

• (in German) History of Zollgrenzschutz