| Marksmanship
was an important skill for a border guard and for obvious reasons.
Once placed on border duty the East German government expected these
skills to be utilized to stop an escape over the border. Failure
to hit an escapee could have resulted in arrest or disciplinary action.
Hitting a escaping traitor resulted in commendations and time off. from
duty. So, as
part of their training a Grenztruppen conscript was required to hit two
moving targets at 200 meters with only four shots under both day and
night time conditions. To distinguish the different levels of shooting proficiency, the Grenztruppen had three levels of achievement similar to the U.S. military's Marksman, Sharphooter, and Expert ratings. To signify marksmanship qualification a border guard was awarded a cord and badge known as the Schutzenschnur. Awarded to the Grenztruppen since 1957, these badges were worn on the dress uniform and were also awarded to the naval border guards of the Coastal Border Brigade. For more information on the Schutzenschnur visit Shooting Cord in the Uniform section.
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Grenztruppen Schutzenschnur badge (left) and Coastal Border Brigade badge (right) |
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