Need help with German portmanteau word, please...

[oggbashan]

One of our friends has received a copy of an obituary notice for a relation who was German and was killed in action in World War II, probably at Stalingrad.

His job, between the wars, was stated as Hilfszollbetriebassistant.

We presume that breaks down to Hilfs zoll betrieb assistant and our best guess is "Assistant in the auxiliary customs service" but what would that mean he actually did?

Any suggestions?

Og

 

[past_perfect]

One of our friends has received a copy of an obituary notice for a relation who was German and was killed in action in World War II, probably at Stalingrad.

His job, between the wars, was stated as Hilfszollbetriebassistant.

We presume that breaks down to Hilfs zoll betrieb assistant and our best guess is "Assistant in the auxiliary customs service" but what would that mean he actually did?

Any suggestions?

Og

Couldn't find anything definite, I would surmise though that he was some sort of armed guard.

 

[Xelebes]

Hilfszollbetriebassistant

Hilf = Help
Zoll = Duty
Betrieben = Operate
Assistant = Assistant

Helping Duty Operation Assistant

Hmmm...

 

[fieryjen]

Yeah, I've been puzzling too but apart from a near-literal translation it's not exactly easy to figure out what work in that position might have included. Sorry I can't be of any help.

 

[oggbashan]

Thanks for the suggestions so far.

I might have some more information BUT it might be misleading:

1. A WWII memoriablia site has the shoulder boards for a Hilfszollbetriebassistant for sale. The site says that the owner was a member of the Reichsfinanz department and had the letters RSV in gold on the shoulder boards.

2. In the memorial leaflet the deceased is shown in uniform. It COULD be the uniform of a Hilfszollbetriebassistant. The shoulder boards look as if they match those for sale in 1 above.

3. He was a holder of the Iron Cross 2nd Class. He could have won that in the First World War OR he could have been awarded it as a Hilfszollbetriebassistant.

4. He was killed in action in 1943. Is Hilfszollbetriebassistant a military rank? I wouldn't have thought that it was but many activities that were performed by British civilians were part of the German Armed forces.

Og

 

[Xelebes]

Reichsfinanz? Ah, he would have helped oversee the application of tariffs on goods and services.

 

[SeaCat]

Ogg,

Nothing in my books or in my history about something like this but I have sent an E-Mail to my parents to see if they have any info. (My mother is German.) I'll let you know what I hear from them.

Cat

 

[past_perfect]

Thanks for the suggestions so far.

I might have some more information BUT it might be misleading:

1. A WWII memoriablia site has the shoulder boards for a Hilfszollbetriebassistant for sale. The site says that the owner was a member of the Reichsfinanz department and had the letters RSV in gold on the shoulder boards.

2. In the memorial leaflet the deceased is shown in uniform. It COULD be the uniform of a Hilfszollbetriebassistant. The shoulder boards look as if they match those for sale in 1 above.

3. He was a holder of the Iron Cross 2nd Class. He could have won that in the First World War OR he could have been awarded it as a Hilfszollbetriebassistant.

4. He was killed in action in 1943. Is Hilfszollbetriebassistant a military rank? I wouldn't have thought that it was but many activities that were performed by British civilians were part of the German Armed forces.

Og

Well, the Reichsfinanz department would have been in charge of customs. The Iron Cross you would get for valour in action only, so unless it is from the first World War, it would indicate that he indeed was involved in combat.

I would think that this position as an aid to the regular customs officers was similar to the RAD (Reichsarbeitsdienst), where people had been originally drafted for work (in this instance probably anything from building and maintaining border fences and whatnot, security and clerical duties), but in the later stages of the war, those were also used as (badly trained) combat units.

Germans were particularly fond of uniforms at that time, so he would have had a uniform similar to the normal customs officers. The words Hilfs- and Assistent would indicate short or no formal training. In the RAD you also had different ranks as in the military.

 

[Tarakin]

Hilfszollbetriebsassistent would have been one of the lowest ranks available in Germany, it means he was doing it as a replacement (Hilf) and he was supporting someone (assistent). There would have been no opportunity to get an Iron Cross in this job, so maybe it was indeed something he earned in WWI. Indeed with an Iron Cross and a handicap of some sort as a result of WWI a job as Hilfszollbetriebassistant would have been very likely. Another possibility would be that he helped people i.e. after an airstrike, digging out survivors and risking his own life this way. If he did that and saved twelve persons he would be rewarded with an Iron Cross (in wartimes).

Why he did die in action still being a Hilfszollbetriebsassistent I can't fathom (but maybe he wasn't, like you said he hold this rank between the wars). If he died with his civilian rank maybe his office would have been overrun by the Russians, but the only place that could have been would have been near Leningrad (St. Petersburg) if he was assigned to custom policies at the Finnish border, which seems highly unlikely. In a regular military assignment he would have been called by his military rank, not by his former civilian office. And the 'last effort', where every able German man was assigned to stop the inevitable, started at the end of 1944, not 1943. So maybe his death was by an Allied airstrike, the victims of those were also called to have died 'in defense of the fatherland' or 'in the line of duty'.

Please keep in mind that I'm a bit guessing here...

 

[oggbashan]

I have just spoken to the relative researching this memorial.

She is very pleased with what has been found out so far. Any more suggestions would be appreciated (but I'm away for a week from tonight).

Thanks for your help.

Og

 

[Pure]

it's a minor customs official, as stated above; the 'hilf' indicates assistant or auxilliary status. assistant is yet another level down.

customs persons might be at the border or elsewhere.

 

[Pure]

....dup

 

[Hornyklaus]

It means "Auxilliary Customs Agent Assistant"
Which basically means a low-level customs clerk and not any kind of guard.
This is not a guess but a 100% accurate answer

 

[oggbashan]

It means "Auxilliary Customs Agent Assistant"
Which basically means a low-level customs clerk and not any kind of guard.
This is not a guess but a 100% accurate answer

Thank you, and welcome to the Author's Hangout.

Og

 

[past_perfect]

It means "Auxilliary Customs Agent Assistant"
Which basically means a low-level customs clerk and not any kind of guard.
This is not a guess but a 100% accurate answer

Um, before I read your answer here, I had already contacted the information service of current German customs - they had referred my request to the customs history museum and today I got the answer, which doesn't really coincide with your answer:

German original:

1937 wurde der "Grenzaufsichtsdienst" in "Zollgrenzschutz" umbenannt.
Damit wurde eine militärisch organisierte, mit zoll- und steuerlichen
Aufgaben betraute Einheit gebildet, die zur Sicherung des
Reichsgebietes, an allen Außengrenzen stationiert war. Bei Kriegsbeginn
wurden viele dieser Zollgrenzschutzbeamte zur Wehrmacht eingezogen. Die
zu überwachenden Grenzen wuchsen, da auch in den besetzten Gebieten die
Überwachung der Grenze dem Zollgrenzschutz oblag. Schon 1937 wurde
zusätzliches Personal benötigt. Die Anzahl der "Stammbeamten" schrumpfte
weiter und ein immer größerer Teil der ca 50.000- 80.000
Zollgrenzschutzbeamten wurde durch die Hilfskräfte gestellt. Dieses
waren in erster Linie ältere, für die Wehrmacht nicht, oder nur zum Teil
geeignete Männer bzw. Reservisten. In der Regel wurden diese Männer vor
dem Krieg ortsnah eingesetzt. Sie wurden anfangs als Zollhilfsmänner
oder Hilfsgrenzangestellte (HIGA) bezeichnet und trugen ihre Wehrmachts/
SA/ SS Uniform ohne Rangabzeichen, mit einer Armbinde welche mit einem
Wappenschild versehen war. Später, während des Krieges wurden spezielle
Dienstgrade eingeführt. So auch die Bezeichnung
"Hilfszollbetriebsassistent". Die Männer konnten bei guter Leistung
sogar in den Zolldienst übernommen werden.
Natürlich waren sie auch in Kampfhandlungen verwickelt, da auf den
Zolldienststellen meist nur noch einige "gelernte Zöllner" Dienst taten.
Der Großteil der Beamte waren "Hilfszollbeamte".

Einen schönen Überblick über die gesamte Thematik gibt die Internetseite
www.zollgrenzschutz.de

English translation:

In 1937 the "border control service" was renamed to customs frontier protection. With that, a militarily organised unit was formed, which was responsible for all customs and excise as well as border protection duties, and stationed on all borders of the Reich. At the beginning of the war, many of the original customs servicemen were drafted into the regular Wehrmacht. The borders under surveillance grew in size and number, as the border control in the occupied territories also were under the jurisdiction of that unit. As early as 1937 additional staff was required. The number of the "regular customs officers" shrank consistently in number and an increasingly larger portion of the 50000 - 80000 border control servicemen were auxilliary staff. These were mainly older men, not really suitable for the Wehrmacht, or drawn from reserve units. Usually they would have been deployed in locations close to their home before the war. They were initially called Zollhilfsmänner or Hilfsgrenzangestellte and wore their SA/SS or Wehrmachtsuniform without any rank insignia, but a brassart which showed a special crest. During the war definite ranks were introduced, amongst which was "Hilfszollbetriebsassistent". The men could be promoted to regular customs officers, if their performance was good.
Naturally they were also involved in combat, as only very few real customs officers were still employed at outposts. The majority actually were auxilliary staff.

A good summary can be found at:www.zollgrenzschutz.de