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| Zollgrenzschutz | |
 On the far left, anOberzollrat of theZollgrenzschutz | |
| Agency overview | |
|---|---|
| Formed | 1918 |
| Dissolved | 8 May 1945 |
| Type | Paramilitaryborder guards |
| Jurisdiction |  Germany |
| Agency executive |
|
| Parent agency | Reich Financial Administration [de] |
Zollgrenzschutz (ZGS;lit. 'Customs Border Guards') was an organization under theGerman Finance Ministry from 1937 to 1945. It was charged with guarding Germany's borders, acting as a combination ofBorder Patrol and Customs & Immigration service.
It originated in the early 19th century as a tariff enforcement unit of the Prussian government. Reorganized in 1919 under theWeimar Republic followingWorld War I, it gradually became more militarized and transformed into a paramilitary force, also due to the economic woes of blockade, inflation andGreat Depression.
InNazi Germany it was reformed again in 1937 byFritz 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 theZollgrenzschutz under the control of theSchutzstaffel (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 theWehrmacht, leaving theZollgrenzschutz with older men. After the20 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 theReich Security Main Office (RSHA).[1]
It was deactivated at the end ofWorld War II in Europe whenGermany was partitioned.
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| Collar insignia[citation needed] | Shoulder insignia[citation needed] | ZGS Rank[citation needed] | 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 |