zollgrenschutz btl.

[MadDog]

In the fall of 1944, the 19th Army and/or 24th Army fielded a number of zollgrenschutz (border ?) battalions. Is there a specific KSTN for these ?

thanks,

Mad Dog

[John Winner]

I cannot find a KStN for this type of unit. I believe that the translation is "customs border security". So I suppose units guarded the custom houses/check points. Probably not any differant from a standard Grenzschutz unit.

[MadDog]

How about a KSTN for grenzschutze unit ?

I have the KSTN rolls from NARA, bit given the organization, I really have a hard time locating units without a number. One of these days I would like to organize the material there into a searchable database.....

thanks,

Mad Dog

[John Winner]

Here is a list I prepared from those NARA rolls and World War II day by day. The list does not differentiate between the two. It is a PDF so it is fully searchable. http://www.scribd.com/JohnWinner/d/53829401-KStN-List.
I have been thinking of redoing it so you figure out exactly which KStN volume the KStN you are looking for is in.

This seems to be one of my more popular documents, I am suprised it is not well know on this forum.

There does not seem to be a KStN for Grenzshutz units, at least on my list.

John

[Lorenz]

There does not seem to be a KStN for Grenzshutz units, at least on my list.

That's because they did not belong to the Heer.

[MadDog]

Is there a separate inventory of police (?) KSTN somewhere ?

thanks,

Mad Dog

[hero.]

Hello !

Some information on these units (originating from the customs) can be found here :
http://www.zollgrenzschutz.de/index.php ... &Itemid=86

And especially for the Oberrhein-Bataillone here :
http://www.zollgrenzschutz.de/index.php ... &Itemid=88

So far I haven't found any good info on the formation and detailed Gliederung of those units.
From the first link, it might be possible, that at least some of those units already existed as
(VGAD ?) battalions, before they were transferred to the fieldarmy. In that case, the remark of Lorenz
applies and one would need to find those KStN (or whatever they would be called at the customs).

However, from the second link, I could also imagine, that especially the Oberrhein-Bataillone,
were not preexisting units, but simply formed from personnel of the Zollgrenzschutz.
( It says ... überall zusammengelesenen Zollgrenzschutzbeamten : "customs personnel,
scraped together everywhere" and ... falls nötig aus Wehrmachtsoffizieren ... "if necessary,
filled up with Wehrmacht officers").

In that case, I would assume that at least those Oberrhein-Btl. were organized as a type of
regular infantry battalion and received their name only due to the origin of their soldiers.
Perhaps someone knows more details (or can even provide the order of formation
of Einsatzgruppe Oberrhein ) ?!

Best regards,

hero.

[Lorenz]

Very nice summary, Hero.

The Zollgrenzschutz web site you provided a link to has just about everything anyone might want to know about the subject. For the benefit of Maddog, I might add that the Zollgrenzschutz belonged to the Reich Finance Ministry until 31 July 1944, then to the SS to the end of January 1945 and then back to the Finance Ministry. The Oberrhein battalions were only set up in late November/early December 1944 with 4 companies each to serve as infantry battalions. There is strong circumstantial evidence that they did not receive any prescribed infantry training to speak of (there just wasn't enough time), they definitely were not outfitted with the authorized allowance of weapons and equipment provided to a Heer infantry battalion, and the personnel were mostly in their 40's and early 50's. In their initial contact with Allied troops at the front, they suffered very heavy casualties, so heavy that it was decided thereafter to only use them behind the front to built fortifications, man rear area roadblocks, etc.

So, if you think about the above and construct a mental timeline, it becomes likely that these battalions never had a prescribed KStN of KAN while part of the SS. Any table of organization that they might have had prior to 1 August 1944 would have been produced by the Reich Finance Ministry. Since there were only a few battalions during the earlier period, it's possible that each KStN/KAN differed depending on the nature of each battalion's duties.

Lorenz

[MadDog]

Hero, that is a great job finding the website. I never thought of doing a web search for a site on German border police btl. The internet still amazes me ! : )

I was looking through the site and I have a file on (VGAD?) Stern - does it look like the web owner is looking for info ?

I also note he has FP # for the Oberrhein regiments which I havnt found yet. Maybe the web owner has late war 19th Army material ?

Lorenz, I cannot argue with your logic, and this is a good enough answer.

thanks,

Mad Dog

[John W. Howard]

This site still has the ability to amaze me at times. Thanks folks for the incredible information and links.