Bundesgrenzschutz

After the Second World War, and under the conditions of Allied occupation, the newly formed Federal Republic of Germany sought to establish an independent federal border guard and police service. The Federal Border Guard Act (Bundesgrenzschutzgesetz) was adopted by the federal cabinet on 14 November 1950 and passed by the Bundestag on 15 February 1951.

The Cold War had begun, but travel between East and West Germany was not yet restricted by the Berlin Wall, which was erected in 1961. German nationals could move freely from the German Democratic Republic to the Federal Republic of Germany in Berlin, although individuals attempting to cross the inner-German border elsewhere were typically commercial smugglers or espionage agents carrying contraband such as radio transmitters. The Allied occupation authorities considered that these activities could be more effectively policed by a permanent German force familiar with the border terrain, and at German rather than Allied expense. The Bundesgrenzschutz was therefore organised along paramilitary lines in battalions, companies, and platoons, and equipped as light infantry. Despite this structure, it remained a police force under the authority of the Federal Ministry of the Interior rather than the Ministry of Defence.^[1]

A maritime border‑guard unit (Seegrenzschutz) was formed as part of the BGS on 1 July 1951.^[1] It consisted of approximately 550 members and was equipped with fourteen large patrol craft and several helicopters.

On 3 October 1953, the Bundespasskontrolldienst (federal passport control service), which had been established on 19 September 1951, was transferred to the BGS and was now deployed on the entire German border.^[1]

The BGS was initially a paramilitary force of 10,000, which was responsible for policing a zone 30 kilometres (19 mi) deep along the border. It eventually became the basis for the present national semi-militarised police force.^[2] On 19 June 1953 its authorized strength was expanded to 20,000 men, a mixture of conscripts and volunteers equipped with armoured cars, anti-tank guns, helicopters, trucks and jeeps. By 1956, it had a strength of 16,414 men. Upon the formation of the Bundeswehr in 1955, over 10,000 members of the BGS voluntarily joined the new German military in 1956. The Seegrenzschutz (Maritime Border Guard) was completely absorbed into the German Navy that year. A new maritime border guard unit was set up in the fall of 1964 as the Bundesgrenzschutz See (BGS See; BGS Sea).

Although it was not intended to be able to repel a full-scale invasion, the BGS was tasked with dealing with small-scale threats to the security of West Germany's borders, including the international borders as well as the inner German border. It had limited police powers within its zone of operations to enable it to deal with threats to the peace of the border. The BGS had a reputation for assertiveness, which made it especially unpopular with East Germans, who routinely criticized it as a reincarnation of the Zollgrenzschutz from the days of Nazi Germany. It also sustained a long-running feud with the Bundeszollverwaltung over which agency should have the lead responsibility for the inner German border.^[3]

The passing of the German Emergency Acts on 30 May 1968 relieved the BGS of its quasi-military tasks, because the Bundeswehr could now operate inside the Federal Republic in the case of an emergency. A military rank structure similar to that of the Bundeswehr was replaced in the mid-1970s by civil service-type personnel grades. The service uniform was green, but field units wore Sumpftarnmuster-type camouflage fatigues and, at times, M40/51 pattern steel helmets and military training was still carried out.

In 1972, the BGS became responsible for the security of the Federal Constitutional Court, the Bundespräsident (Federal President), the Bundeskanzler (Federal Chancellor), the Foreign Office, and the Federal Ministry of the Interior.^[1] In Spring 1973, the Bundesgrenzschutz introduced the green beret as the headgear for all Bundesgrenzschutz officers, which would be used by those who are in GSG 9.^[4]

Although the Compulsory Border Guard Service law is still in force, in 1974 the BGS became an all-volunteer enrollment force and in 1987 started recruiting women.^[1]

Among other things, it was equipped with armored cars, machine guns, automatic rifles, tear gas, hand grenades, rifle grenades, and antitank weapons. All personnel on border and security duty wore sidearms. Five units had light aircraft and helicopters to facilitate rapid access to remote border areas and for patrol and rescue missions. Some units were effectively Mountain troops because of their specialised training, equipment, and operational area (e.g., Bavarian Alps).

In addition to controlling Germany's border, the BGS Alert police served as a federal reserve force to deal with major disturbances and other emergencies beyond the scope of the regional police. The BGS guarded airports and foreign embassies, and several highly trained detachments are available for special crises requiring demolition equipment, helicopters, or combat vehicles.

The BGS consisted of four border guard commands, which included a total of eight border guard groups: Grenzschutzgruppen (GSG) 1 through 7, along with a maritime unit.

After shortcomings in regional state police procedures and training were revealed by the terrorist attack on Israeli athletes at the 1972 Summer Olympics, a BGS unit known as Border Guard Group 9 (GSG 9) was formed to deal with counter-terrorism incidents, especially hostage situations. The GSG 9 was not integrated into any of the existing groups. It won world attention when it rescued ninety passengers on a Lufthansa Flight 181 airliner hijacked to Mogadishu, Somalia, in 1977.

June 1990 saw the elimination of border patrols and controls at the Inner German border.^[1] Upon German reunification on 3 October 1990, the East German Transportpolizei duties, and responsibility for air security in the new federal states, were taken over by the BGS. The German Railway Police (Bahnpolizei), formerly an independent force, was restructured under the BGS on 1 April 1992 in preparation for the railway's privatization. The (formerly federally-run) railway system remains a federal competency and Länder police forces have no authority over the railways.

The strength of the BGS was 24,000 in early 1995.

• Anton Grasser
• Kurt Andersen (general)
• Ulrich Wegener
• Michael Newrzella

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  BGS uniforms c. 1987
• 
  10th anniversary parade in Lübeck, 1961. Visible vehicles are Mowag MR 8s.
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  10th anniversary parade in Lübeck, 1961. The vehicle in the foreground is a DKW-Munga.
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  Water cannon [Mercedes-Benz NG 2628 WaWe 90002006-08], Frankfurt (Oder) 12
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  Hanomag AL-28 BGS Funkkraftwagen (Radio Car) L
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  A Bundesgrenzschutz Alouette II helicopter patrols the West German side of the inner German border, 1985.
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  Members of the 11th Armored Cavalry stop to talk with West German border police while patrolling the border between East and West Germany in M151 light vehicles.
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  West German border guard, civilians and an East German border guard on opposite sides of the border line at Herrnburg near Lübeck.

• Allied-occupied Germany
• Bavarian Border Police
• B-Gendarmerie
• Border guards of the inner German border
• Border Troops of the German Democratic Republic
• British Frontier Service
• Bundeszollverwaltung (Federal Customs Service)
• Crossing the inner German border
• Development of the inner German border
• Escape attempts and victims of the inner German border
• Fall of the inner German border
• Fortifications of the inner German border
• Grepo
• Helmstedt–Marienborn border crossing (Checkpoint Alpha)
• United States Zone Constabulary
• Volkspolizei-Bereitschaft (East German Riot Police)
• Zollgrenzschutz