Ernst Röhm: Nazi SA Leader Executed During the Night of the Long Knives

World History: True Stories of the 20th Century · Jul 9, 2026 · 20m

Ernst Röhm was the co-founder of the SA (Sturmabteilung) and one of Adolf Hitler’s earliest and most influential allies during the Nazi Party’s rise to power. As the co-founder and commander of the SA (Sturmabteilung), or “Brownshirts,” Röhm was instrumental in building the Nazi movement into a mass force through intimidation, street violence, and militarized loyalty. A decorated veteran of World War I and a supporter of radical social change, Röhm envisioned the SA as a revolutionary army that could eventually replace the traditional German military. His growing influence, open…