Zollgrenzschutz

After occupying the Balkans early in the war, the Axis powers constantlystruggled to police the region. The partisan presence was quite substantial,and while the various fractured guerrilla groups expended a great dealof energy fighting among themselves, they were still a threat to German/Italian control. The Germans and Italians were heavily engaged with theAllies across multiple fronts, so manpower was thinly spread. Therefore,much of the responsibility for combating a ruthless and in some caseshighly militarized resistance contingent fell to nonmilitary police units. Anexample of such a unit is the Zollgrenzschutz (customs-border protection)of the Hauptzollamt (main customs office) Villach. Villach lies where theborders of Austria (then part of Greater Germany), Italy, and Sloveniameet. It is the gateway to the Julian Alps and during the Second World Warwas the frontier between Nazi Germany and the Balkans. Italian authorTommaso Chiussi has pieced together the history of the unit throughpainstaking original research in German, Austrian, Italian, and Slovenianarchives. Included with the manuscript are more than 90 photos, most ofwhich are previously unpublished.