BACKGROUND: The German Customs Service can be traced back to 1834 when a Customs Union was formed to allow the separate German States to trade amongst themselves without trade and tariff taxes, while still imposing import trade taxes on other European nations. With the unification of the German States into a single nation in 1871 the Customs Service became a national paramilitary organization, under control of the Reichsfinanzministerium, (National Finance Ministry), in Berlin. The national Customs Service was still responsible for imposing and collecting import trade taxes but was also tasked with border defence duties. In 1936 the Customs Service was reorganized and given further policing responsibilities including the apprehension of individuals attempting to escape from the NSDAP’s yoke. The German Customs service was divided into two separate branches with one branch consisting of the Landzollbeamte, (Land Customs Officials), which was subdivided into the Zollgrenzschutz, (Land Customs Border Guards), and the Wasserzollbeamte, (Water Customs Officials), and the second branch consisting of the remaining Zollbeamte, (Customs Officials). All Customs personnel below the rank of General were issued with an identifying cufftitle to be worn on the lower left sleeve of the service tunic.

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: Green rayon construction cufftitle with a machine woven, stylized, national eagle, with outstretched wings, with upswept wing tips, clutching a wreathed, canted swastika in it’s talons in silvery/grey rayon threads. Both the top and bottom edges of the cufftitle are bordered in horizontally interwoven, silvery/grey rayon threads.