Sturmabteilung

The **Sturmabteilung** (; often shortened to **SA** or **Storm Division**) was the Nazi Party's paramilitary group (its militia). They were nicknamed "Brownshirts" for their uniforms. The SA was formed in 1920 and had several leaders, including Ernst Röhm.The SA helped Adolf Hitler rise to power in the 1930s. The Nazi _Schutzstaffel_ (SS) replaced the SA in 1934 after the Night of the Long Knives (where Röhm was killed).

## Purpose

The SA's biggest purposes were to:

- Help the Nazis rise to power
- Protect Nazi rallies and gatherings
- Intimidate Jews, Roma people, and trade unionists
- Disrupt the meetings of other political parties
- Fight the paramilitary units of these other parties, especially the Communist Party of Germany and the Social Democratic Party of Germany

The SA have been called "the gangsters of the early days of Nazi terrorism".

## The SS replaces the SA

_Main article: The Night of the Long Knives_

The SS began as a small part of the SA but later replaced it.The Army and other conservatives disliked the SA. In 1934 Adolf Hitler launched the Night of the Long Knives, a purge that lasted from June 30 to July 2. In the purge, the SS arrested and killed the SA's leaders. Then the SS replaced the SA as the Nazi Party's paramilitary wing.

## Names

The word _Sturmabteilung_ was used even before the Nazi Party was founded in 1919.

Literally, it means “assault detachment” or “assault section”. The word "assault" here means "military attack." _Sturmabteilung_ originally described Germany's specialized assault troops in World War I, who used _Hutier_ infiltration tactics. The name is often translated to English as "Storm Troopers" or "Storm Division".

During their time, the SA were often called the _Braunhemden_ (Brownshirts) because they wore brown uniforms. (Similarly, Mussolini's paramilitary wing were nicknamed the _Camicia Nera_ - the "Blackshirts" - because of their black uniforms.)

## Related pages

- Nazi Germany
- Nazi Party
- Night of the Long Knives
- Ernst Röhm
- Paramilitary

## Sources

</references>

## Other websites

- The night of long knives

## Infobox (government agency)

- **logo**: SA-Logo.svg
- **logo width**: 75px
- **logo caption**: SA insignia
- **picture**: File: Bundesarchiv Bild 146-1982-159-21A, Nürnberg, Reichsparteitag, Hitler und Röhm.jpg
- **picture width**: 200px
- **picture caption**: Adolf Hitler and Ernst Röhm inspecting the SA
in Nuremberg in 1933
- **formed**: 1920
- **dissolved**: May 8, 1945
- **superseding**: ( 1934 onwards)
- **jurisdiction**: *  Weimar Republic
*  Nazi Germany
- **headquarters**: SA High Command, , Munich
- **minister1 name**: :en:Emil Maurice, Emil Maurice (1920–1921)
- **minister2 name**: :en:Hans Ulrich Klintzsch, Hans Ulrich Klintzsch (1921–1923)
- **minister3 name**: Hermann Göring (1923)
- **minister4 name**: :en:Franz Pfeffer von Salomon, Franz Pfeffer von Salomon (1926–1930)
- **minister5 name**: Adolf Hitler (1930–1945)
- **chief1 name**: :en:Otto Wagener, Otto Wagener  (1929–1931)
- **chief2 name**: Ernst Röhm (1931–1934)
- **chief3 name**: :en:Viktor Lutze, Viktor Lutze (1934–1943)
- **chief4 name**: :en:Wilhelm Schepmann, Wilhelm Schepmann (1943–1945)
- **agency type**: Paramilitary
- **parent agency**: Nazi Party (NSDAP)
- **child1 agency**: Schutzstaffel (until  July 1934)