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

World History: True Stories of the 20th Century · Aug 14, 2026 · 14m

Karl Ernst was one of the most powerful SA leaders in Berlin before Adolf Hitler had him executed during the Night of the Long Knives. His rise and fall reflects the violent ascent of the Nazi movement and the ruthless purge that eliminated many of Hitler's own followers.

Born into the chaos of post–First World War Germany, he drifted through Berlin’s nightlife as a bouncer and rumored gay prostitute before joining the Sturmabteilung—the SA, Hitler’s notorious Brownshirt militia. In the turbulent politics of the Weimar Republic, Ernst quickly rose through the ranks, valued for his brutality…