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.
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).[1]
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).[1]
It was deactivated at the end of World War II in Europe when Germany was partitioned.
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).
Germany
