UNIVERSITY of CALIFORNIA, SAN DIEGO the Bundesgrenzschutz: Re
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UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN DIEGO The Bundesgrenzschutz: Re-civilizing Security in Postwar West Germany, 1950-1977 A Dissertation submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree Doctor of Philosophy in History by David Michael Livingstone Committee in charge: Professor Frank Biess, Chair Professor Richard Biernacki Professor Deborah Hertz Professor Rebecca Plant Professor Ulrike Strasser 2018 Copyright David Michael Livingstone, 2018 All rights reserved. Signature Page The Dissertation of David Michael Livingstone is approved, and it is acceptable in quality and form for publication on Microfilm and electronically: Chair University of California, San Diego 2018 iii Dedication This dissertation is dedicated to my Grandmother, Maria, “Oma Bitzel” Commerçon and my Mother, Helga Livingstone (née Commerçon) – two strong women whose stories of life in postwar West Germany inspired me to be a historian. iv Epigraph Democracy cannot be imposed on any nation from the outside. Each society must search for its own path, and no path is perfect. Barack Obama v Table of Contents Signature Page ............................................................................................................................................. iii Dedication .................................................................................................................................................... iv Epigraph ........................................................................................................................................................ v Table of Contents ......................................................................................................................................... vi List of Abbreviations .................................................................................................................................. vii List of Figures ............................................................................................................................................ viii Acknowledgements ...................................................................................................................................... ix Vita ............................................................................................................................................................. xiv Abstract of the Dissertation ........................................................................................................................ xv Introduction ................................................................................................................................................... 1 Chapter 1: Foundations ............................................................................................................................... 29 Chapter 2: Expansion .................................................................................................................................. 67 Chapter 3: West Germany’s Shield ........................................................................................................... 118 Chapter 4: Recruitment and Hiring in the Bundesgrenzschutz ................................................................. 161 Chapter 5: Training, Education, And Professional Ethics in the BGS ...................................................... 226 Chapter 6: Border Policemen as Military Combatants ............................................................................. 282 Chapter 7: Internal Security in the Post-Adenauer Era ............................................................................. 336 Conclusion: Re-civilizing Security ........................................................................................................... 399 Bibliography ............................................................................................................................................. 418 vi List of Abbreviations BePo: Bereitschaftspolizei BGS: Bundesgrenzschutz BRD: Federal Republic of Germany DDR: German Democratic Republic EDC: European Defense Community FRG: Federal Republic of Germany GdP: Gewerkschaft der deutsche Polizei GDR: German Democratic Republic GSG: Grenzschutz Gruppen GSK: Grenzschutzkommando GSOD: Grenzschutz Ordnungsdienst HICOG: Allied High Commission for Germany ÖTV: Öffentliche Dienste, Transport und Verkehr PGA: Personalgutachterausschuss RAF: Rote Armee Faktion RSHA: Reichssicherheitshauptamt SiPo: Sicherheitspolizei VoPo: Volkspolizei Zoll: Zollgrenschutz vii List of Figures Figure 1.1 Free German Youth propaganda poster, 1951. ......................................................................... 34 Figure 2.2 “Parallel” by George Butterworth, 1950 .................................................................................. 41 Figure 3.3 Truman with Acheson and McCloy, 23 January 1950 ............................................................. 45 Figure 2.1 Adenauer inspects BGS troops, Die Parole 11, (28 May 1961) ............................................... 70 Figure 4.1 BGS Swimming and Lifesaving Team, 1962 .......................................................................... 178 Figure 4.2 BGS recruitment poster BArch-K B106/16992 ...................................................................... 187 Figure 4.3 Photo of armed summer camp student from Stern magazine .................................................. 213 Figure 4.4 Photo of mock execution from Stern magazine ....................................................................... 216 Figure 5.1 Political cartoon, Die Parole 13, no. 8 (15 August 1963) ........................................................ 272 Figure 6.1 Mortar practice, Die Parole 9, no. 3 (15 March 1959) ............................................................ 282 Figure 6.2 Border policemen destroying bunkers, BArch-K B106/17074 ............................................... 320 Figure 6.3 “Saladin” light armored vehicle, BArch-MA DVW1/25771b ................................................. 327 Figure 6.4 GDR map of BGS positions, BA-MA DVW1/25771b ........................................................... 329 Figure 6.5 BGS grenade training, author’s private collection .................................................................. 330 Figure 6.6 BGS helping flood victims, Die Parole 12, no. 3 (15 March 1962) ........................................ 335 Figure 7.1 BGS at Adenauer’s Funeral, BArch-MA, N848-47 ................................................................ 336 Figure 7.2 Interior Minister Werner Maihofer greets Ulrich Wegener and GSG 9 in Bonn, 1977, BArch- K B122/16347 ........................................................................................................................................... 398 viii Acknowledgements The process of writing a dissertation is often described as a solitary endeavor. But during the seven years it has taken me to research, write, and revise this dissertation, I have benefited from an entire community of friends, colleagues, and family members without whose generous support I could never have succeeded. I would first like to thank the members of my dissertation committee for their advice and encouragement over the many wonderful years I was fortunate to spend at UC San Diego. I am especially grateful to my Advisor, Frank Biess, who took a chance on an unconventional graduate student pursuing a Ph.D. while still serving as a career police officer with the Simi Valley Police Department. It was Frank who first suggested the German Police as a possible dissertation topic. When I began my coursework, I was a Lieutenant managing the Special Operations Bureau and was initially reluctant to focus on a field that had consumed over half of my adult life. I soon realized, however, that in studying the German Police, I learned more about my own profession and its role in the modern democratic process. Over the last two years, policing and democracy have been at the forefront of public debate with the tragic events in Ferguson, Dallas, and Baton Rouge. The analytical and writing skills that I gained under Frank’s mentorship helped me to become a better strategic thinker and this was critical in my development as a law enforcement manager. In March 2017, I was appointed to the rank of Chief of Police – an accomplishment that Frank’s mentorship and academic training prepared me for. I would also like to thank Professor Uli Strasser for her willingness to step in and serve on my committee because of an unplanned change in my final year. There are also many people I have met in the professional academic community that helped me along the way. When I decided to focus on German policing, I had the opportunity to discuss some of my preliminary ideas with Richard Bessel. Richard graciously took time away from his busy schedule to speak with me at length about the historiography and potential avenues for further work in the policing ix field. I also owe a great deal of gratitude to Adam Seipp who I met after attending a panel session at the 2011 Society of Military Conference. It was from Adam that I first learned about the Bundesgrenzschutz. He was very helpful in pointing me towards archival sources in Koblenz that he was familiar with from his own work. During the early stages of my research I participated in the German Colloquium for Police History where I was introduced to the wider community of German Police historians. I have benefitted greatly from