Zoll museum Hamburg

[Patrick-V]

As i have some special interrest in german customs i went for the second time to the zoll museum in Hamburg.
Different exposition this time as it was 5 years ago the last time i visit it.

It's just a small collection of third reich stuff but it is great what they have.

So first some pictures from 2004.

[Patrick-V]

And some from this week.
Its a pity that this stuff is behind glas so its difficult to make a photo but i did my best at it.

[Patrick-V]

And now something really special.
They have a small tribute for a few pilots that where in the customs service.
I was able to have a copy of a magazine with an article of this small group which was made by Wilhelm Saris.

[wilhelm saris]

Hello Patrick,

yes, indeed a small collection, but nice to go there and have a look at it.

Especially it was great for me to see some items there, which I had observed personally in the later eighties, when this pilots stuff was kept at the "Zollkriminalinstitut" at Colonia (Germany) and which then resulted in a few articles for magazines about this rarely known subject in cooperation with my longtime German customs-friend Hermann Miller (a former member of a Reichsfinanzschule), who had discovered this material and had interviews with some still living pilots.

The articles were published as:
a) "Pilots of the Customs Border Security, 1941-1945" in The Military Advisor (USA), number 1 from winter 1990/1991;
b) "Zollgrenzschutzpiloten" in De Collectioneur (Netherlands), 1991;
c) "Zollflieger des Zollgrenzschutzes, 1941-1945" in Militaria (Germany), number 3 from March 1992;
d) "Zollflieger des Zollgrenzschutzes" in the Internationales Militaria-Magazin (Germany), number 132 from March/April 2008.

After all those attention and articles the customs-pilots still are an unknown subject for most collectors of Third Reich stuff, their insignia being one of the rarest from Hitler's Germany while only a few were made!

[Sergeant 08]

The Zoll Museum! It looks interesting, I have never been there before. Where is it located in Hamburg? A look out of the window in posting #2 tells me, it could be the Speicherstadt in Hamburg!?

[wilhelm saris]

I thought it is Alter Wandrahm or so in the middle of the town, fifteen minutes or about walking from Weitze.

[Patrick-V]

The Zoll Museum! It looks interesting, I have never been there before. Where is it located in Hamburg? A look out of the window in posting #2 tells me, it could be the Speicherstadt in Hamburg!?

Yes it's located in the speicherstadt at the alter wandrahm just 15 minutes from the citi center.
Lots of other museums nearby for visiting.

[Sergeant 08]

I thought it is Alter Wandrahm or so in the middle of the town, fifteen minutes or about walking from Weitze.

Weitze is always a good landmark in Hamburg! ;)

Yes it's located in the speicherstadt at the alter wandrahm just 15 minutes from the citi center.
Lots of other museums nearby for visiting.

Thanks! I think I will find it! :thumbup:

[Wim Vangossum]

Very interesting pictures and story about those pilots. Did they were a special uniform?Thanks for sharing the pictures.

Regards, Wim :)

[wilhelm saris]

what uniform was worn is mentioned in the articles, largely ZGS (Patrick may verify this). As was also shown to the public for the first time the speciality badge in my article. Until now - and there was quite some contact with the (in those days still alive) former pilots - no photograph has showed up where this badge actually was worn!

[Patrick-V]

As what i have found in the archives Wilhelm is correct in his statement.
Mainly they worn the fieldgrey ZGS uniform but also the bergrock was considerated.
There was also an idea to use the LW fliegerbluse but this was dropped.
In the airplane they used the standard summer or winter combi with gloves and winterboots when neccesary.

I still have to wait for the copies to be made from the various documents that was not yet on microfiche maybe there is further information in the uniform regulation i ordered.

[wilhelm saris]

Here a few photographs from my article, as published in the Internationales Militaria-Magazin from March/April 2008.
The first three (zo-1) were rejected; from the second three (zo-2) the official pattern was chosen); zo-3 shows actual badges and zo-4 show the most important pilot Karl Debelius.

[Patrick-V]

Thanks for showing Wilhelm i do have your article on this subject but now everybody can have a better understanding on it.

The sketches you're showing were also in de BA as were some others.

[wilhelm saris]

I know, that's where this material was found many, many years ago by my friend Hermann Miller, who also had contact with the customs-pilots that were active during the war!

[Wim Vangossum]

Very interesting. Thanks again for sharing this knowledge. :thumbup1:


Regards, Wim :)