Zollgrenzschutz

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Zollgrenzschutz (ZGS) [German > "Customs Border Guards"] An organization under the German Finance Ministry charged with guarding Germany's borders, acting as a combination Border Patrol and Customs & Immigration service. It originated in the early 19th century as a tariff enforcement unit of the Prussian government. It was reorganized in 1919 under the Weimar Republic after the fall of the Second Reich following World War I. It gradually became more militarized and transformed into a paramilitary force. Under the Third Reich it was reformed again in 1937 by Fritz Reinhardt , a State Secretary of the Finance Ministry. During the war, the units were used in occupied territories outside of Germany and in July 1944 were placed under the control of the Sicherheitspolizei. It was later deactivated at the end of World War II when Germany was partitioned.