(German) Federal Border Guards

[Mahatatain]

Does anyone know much about the Bundesgrenzschutz, the German Federal Border Guards.

I'm particularly interested in their rank structure. From looking on Wikipedia by the time of Twilight 2000 they were using "civil service-type personnel grades" as the military rank structure similar to that of the Bundeswehr was replaced in the mid-1970s.

Thanks for any help.

Mahatatain.

[simonmark6]

I found this on the net, don't know if it's a help:
Messenger (Bote) (Oberamtsgehilfe) A 2
Soldier Lance Corporal (Hauptgefreiter) A 4
Sergeant (Unteroffizier) A 5
Office clerk (Bürosachbearbeiter) Sekretär A 6
Policeman Polizeimeister A 7
Assistant desk officer (i.e. in a tax office) Inspektor A 9
Policeman Polizeikommissar A 9
Lieutnant (Leutnant) A 9
Policeman Polizeioberkommissar A 10
Engineer (Fachhochschule) Technischer Regierungsoberinspektor A 10
Company commander Captain (Hauptmann) A 12
Teacher at an elementary school-/HauptschuleTeacher (Lehrer) A 12
Policeman Polizeihauptkommissar A 12
Teacher at a Realschule Realschullehrer A 13
Desk officer in a ministry Regierungsrat Oberregierungsrat Regierungsdirektor
A 13
A 14
A 15
Full-time mayor in a town with up to 10 000 inhabitants Bürgermeister A 15
Teacher at a Gymnasium Studienrat OberstudienratStudiendirektor
A 13
A 14
A 15
Commander of a battalion Lieutenant-Colonel (Oberstleutnant) A 14
Head of division in a federal ministry Ministerialrat A 16/ B 3
Head of an embassy Ambassador (Botschafter) A 16/
B 3/
B 6/
B 9
Full-time mayor in a town with up to 100 000 inhabitants Oberbürgermeister B6
Brigade commander Brigadier (Brigadegeneral) B 6
Director in a federal ministry Ministerialdirigent B 6
Division commander Major General (Generalmajor) B 7
Director-General in a federal ministry Ministerialdirektor B 9
State secretary in a federal ministry State Secretary (Staatssekretär) B 11

I'd guess you could either go with the Police Grades or the Military ones, the BGS is fairly paramilitary so the Pay Grade could transfer to an equivalent rank when the war started anyway.

[B.T.]

Hi Mo,

I've got no time right now and have to look for a specific book, but I'm shure, I can give you some infos.

I'm trying to come back later, otherwise I'll post the info tomorrow.

over and out

[B.T.]

First of all: I was in a hurry, when I visitited the board last time. So, Mahatatain, I hope, this will help.

The info, that Simonmark posted, are not really wrong, but he mixed all kinds of services. A mayor, for example, has never been part of the BGS structure. Some of the jobs, mentioned by Simonmark, are politicians, some are soldiers, some are policemen.

IRL the BGS was transferred to the new-found Bundespolizei (= Federal Police) some time after the reunufication. The Bahnpolizei (= Railway Police) of both former German states were transferred to the same organisation. Before that, the BGS was a paramilitary force. Nowadays they are "ordinary" policemen, although they have other duties, than the policemen of the Länderpolizeien (In Germany, the police formations are under the control of the Innenministerien der Länder. Every Bundesland, like Nordrhein-Westfalen, Saarland, Hamburg, etc., has its own police. A Federal Police was lacking, therefore we now have the Bundespolizei.).

The rank structure of the BGS was very similar to the older Whermacht structure. The rank insignia was the same as for the police of the III. Reich. The BGS had a naval and a land based part. From all that I know, the naval Borderguarsmen had rank names as in the Navy, for example a "Oberbootsmann im BGS" has the same rank insignia as a "Oberstabsmeister im BGS". The same was done with the officer ranks in the naval BGS, a "Polizeioberrat im BGS" was adressed as a "Fregattenkapitän im BGS". The background color of the shoulder pieces was different: blue for the naval BGS, green for the land based. The same was true for the uniforms.

The ranks: (Every rank included the "im BGS" as part of the rank. I'm not writing it, but it was part of the official rank!)

Inspekteur des BGS...................................General
Kommandeur
Direktor.......................................Bri gadier General
Leitender Polizeidirektor
Polizeidirektor
Polizei-Oberrat...........................Lieutenant Colonel
Polizei-Rat............................................... ...Major
Erster Polizei-Hauptkommissar......................Captain
Polizei-Hauptkommissar
Polizei-Oberkommissar.......................2nd Lieutenant
Polizei-Kommissar
Polizei-Oberstabsmeister
Polizei-Stabsmeister
Polizei-Obermeister
Polizei-Meister................................Sergeant Major
Polizei-Hauptwachtmeister
(Polizeihauptwachtmeister-Anwärter)
Polizei-Oberwachtmeister
Polizei-Wachtmeister.........................Staff Segeant
Polizei-Wachtmeister-Anwärter

In the German language, the ranks are written without the hyphen, but I think, it would be problematic to read them, if you're not trained in reading German.

The last three ranks have been omitted before 1995, I dont't know when this happened. That had to do with a reorganisation and the reduction of several organisations (Something similar also happened with other police formations.). The ranks with the "Anwärter" are the lowest ranks - basic BGS member.

The structure of the BGS was unique. I placed the US rank equivalents in the listing above, to give an idea, how high the rank was. This does not mean, that BGS officers had any command over members of other forces. Some of the ranks were taken from the older police organisation, therefore they have no military equivalents. There were no privates, specialists or other ranks under NCO rank.

[Mahatatain]

Thanks for all the information - very useful indeed.

One further question for you if that's ok. If my BSG character is not an officer and has made two promotion rolls what rank do you think he would be? It sounds like there are several levels within Anwarter - is that correct?

[B.T.]

In my T2k universe the older rank structure is still in use. In that case a BGS-Mann would have been starting as a Wachtmeister-Anwärter. The first promotion would make him a Wachtmeister and the second an Oberwachtmeister, or more precisely: "Polizei-Oberwachtmeister im BGS".

The newer structure would make him a Polizei-Meister.

The "Anwärter" rank was the lowest. Before the reunification the members started theire carreer in the rank of a "Polizei-Wachtmeister-Anwärter". The lowest ranks completely disappeared IRL shortly after the reunification.

[Mahatatain]

Thanks again - very helpful!