Customs/Army Ribbon Bar 01

This Zollassistent is wearing WEHRMACHT 12 and 4 Years Service Medals and a Sudeten Annexation Medal with Prague Bar.

That's right, MILITARY long service medals.

After a 12 year career enlistment, professional NCOs were entitled to a civil service job or a cash payment. Many who left in 1937-38 went into the Customs service. Of course, from 1939 on they were retained in the military "for the duration." Unlike the civil service Treudienst Cross, whose "clock" ALSO counted prior Imperial military service, to get the Zoll long service cross of 1939, service time started over again at Day 1. So this photo dates before 1942, by which time this man would have had the 4 years uniformed Customs service needed for that cross.

THREE long service awards are thus quite common for Customs employees.


Another peculiarity specific to the Customs service was that members who received the 25 Years civil service Treudienst cross in 1938, THEN ALSO received the Customs long service cross in 1939-- a weird example of two long different service awards for the same thing, with a lower one following an earlier. See ribbon bar in the main Article text.

This photo courtesy of Ulsterman.