Ernst Röhm Ernst Julius Günther Röhm ( 28 November 1887 – 2 July 1934 ) was a German officer in the Bavarian Army and later an early Nazi leader . He was a co - founder of the " Sturmabteilung " ( " Storm Battalion " ; " SA " ) , the Nazi Party militia , and later was its commander . In 1934 , as part of the Night of the Long Knives , he was executed on Adolf Hitler ' s orders as a potential rival . Early career . Ernst Röhm was born in Munich , the youngest of three children ( older sister and brother ) . His father , a railway official , was described as " a harsh man " . Although the family had no military tradition , Röhm entered the Royal Bavarian 10th Infantry Regiment " Prinz Ludwig " at Ingolstadt as a cadet on 23 July 1906 and was commissioned on 12 March 1908 . At the outbreak of war in August 1914 , he was adjutant of the 1st Battalion , 10th Infantry Regiment " König " . The following month , he was seriously wounded in the face at Chanot Wood in Lorraine and carried the scars for the rest of his life . He was promoted to first lieutenant ( " Oberleutnant " ) in April 1915 . During an attack on the fortification at Thiaumont , Verdun , on 23 June 1916 , he sustained a serious chest wound and spent the remainder of the war in France and Romania as a staff officer . He had been awarded the Iron Cross First Class on 20 June 1916 , three days before being wounded at Verdun , and was promoted to captain ( " Hauptmann " ) in April 1917 . In October 1918 , while serving on the Staff of the " Gardekorps " , he contracted the deadly Spanish influenza and was not expected to live , but survived and recovered after a lengthy convalescence . Following the armistice on 11 November 1918 that ended the war , Röhm continued his military career as an adjutant in the Reichswehr . He was one of the senior members in Colonel von Epp ' s " Bayerisches Freikorps für den Grenzschutz Ost " ( Freikorps Epp ) , formed at Ohrdruf in April 1919 , which finally overturned the Munich Soviet Republic by force of arms on 3 May 1919 . In 1919 he joined the German Workers ' Party ( DAP ) , which soon became the National Socialist German Workers Party ( NSDAP ) . Not long afterward he met Adolf Hitler , and they became political allies and close friends . Röhm ' s resignation from the Reichswehr was accepted in November 1923 during his time as a prisoner at Stadelheim prison . Following the failed Beer Hall Putsch of 9 November 1923 , Röhm , Hitler , General Erich Ludendorff , Lt - Colonel Kriebel and six others were tried in February 1924 for high treason . Röhm was found guilty and sentenced to a year and three months in prison , but the sentence was suspended and he was granted a conditional discharge . Hitler was also found guilty and sentenced to five years imprisonment , but would only serve nine months ( under permissively lenient conditions ) , where he wrote his " Mein Kampf " ( My Struggle ) . In April 1924 , Röhm became a Reichstag Deputy for the " völkisch " ( = racial - national ) National Socialist Freedom Party . He made only one speech , urging the release from Landsberg of Lt - Colonel Kriebel . The seats won by his party were much reduced in the 1925 election , and his name was too far down the list to return him to the Reichstag . While Hitler was in prison , Röhm helped to create the " Frontbann " as a legal alternative to the then - outlawed SA . At Landsberg prison in April 1924 , Röhm had also been given full powers by Hitler to rebuild the SA in any way he saw fit . When in April 1925 Hitler and Ludendorff disapproved of the proposals under which Röhm was prepared to integrate the 30 , 000 - strong " Frontbann " into the SA , Röhm resigned from all political movements and military brigades on 1 May 1925 and sought seclusion from public life . In 1928 , he accepted a post in Bolivia as adviser to the Bolivian Army , where he was given the rank of lieutenant colonel and went to work after six months ' acclimatization and language tutoring . But after the 1930 revolt in Bolivia , Röhm was forced to seek sanctuary in the German Embassy . After the election results in Germany that September , Röhm received a telephone call from Hitler in which the latter told him " I need you " , paving the way for Röhm ' s return to Germany . SA leader . In September 1930 , as a consequence of the Stennes Revolt in Berlin , Hitler assumed supreme command of the SA as its new " Oberster SA - Führer " . He sent a personal request to Röhm , asking him to return to serve as the SA ' s chief of staff . Röhm accepted this offer and began his new assignment in early January 1931 . He brought radical new ideas to the SA , and appointed several close friends to its senior leadership . The SA now numbered over a million . Its traditional function of party leader escort had been given to the SS , but it continued its street battles with " Reds " and its attacks on Jews . The SA also attacked or intimidated anyone deemed hostile to the Nazi agenda , including uncooperative editors , professors , politicians , other local officials and businessmen . Under Röhm , the SA also often took the side of workers in strikes and other labor disputes , attacking strikebreakers and supporting picket lines . SA intimidation contributed to the rise of the Nazis and the violent suppression of left - wing parties during electoral campaigns , but its reputation for street violence and heavy drinking was a hindrance , as was the open homosexuality of Röhm and other SA leaders such as his deputy Edmund Heines . One American journalist would later write , " [ Röhm ' s ] chiefs , men of the rank of Gruppenfuehrer or Obergruppenfuehrer , commanding units of several hundred thousand Storm Troopers , were almost without exception homosexuals . Indeed , unless a Storm Troop officer were homosexual , he had no chance of advancement . " In 1931 , the " Münchener Post " , a Social Democratic newspaper , obtained and published Röhm ' s letters to a friend discussing his homosexual affairs . Hitler was aware of Röhm ' s homosexuality . At this point they were so close that they addressed each other as " du " ( the German familiar form of " you " ) . No other top Nazi leader enjoyed that privilege , and their close association led to rumors of Hitler ' s homosexuality . Röhm was the only Nazi who dared address Hitler as " Adolf " rather than " mein Führer . " As Hitler rose to national power with his appointment as Chancellor in 1933 , SA members were appointed auxiliary police and marched into local government offices forcing officials to surrender their authority to the Nazis . Second revolution . Röhm and the SA regarded themselves as the vanguard of the " National Socialist revolution " . After Hitler ' s takeover they expected radical changes in Germany including power and rewards for themselves , unaware that Hitler as Chancellor now no longer needed their street - fighting expertise as storm trooper s . However , Hitler did name Röhm to the cabinet on 1 December as a minister without portfolio . Along with Gregor and Otto Strasser , Joseph Goebbels , Gottfried Feder and Walther Darré , Röhm was a prominent member of the party ' s radical faction . This group took the words " socialist " and " workers " in the party ' s name literally . They largely rejected capitalism ( which they associated with Jews ) and pushed for nationalization of major industrial firms , expansion of worker control , confiscation and redistribution of the estates of the old aristocracy , and social equality . Röhm spoke of a " second revolution " against the " Reaktion " ( the National Socialist label for conservatives ) to follow the violent Nazi " first revolution " purging of left - wing Communists and Socialists . All this was threatening to the business community in general and Hitler ' s corporate financial backers in particular , including many German industrial leaders ( which , the leaders hoped , would reap huge profits from the coming Nazi military buildup ) ; so Hitler swiftly reassured his powerful industrial allies that there would be no " second revolution . " Many " storm troopers " were of working - class origins and expected a radical program . They were now disappointed by the new regime ' s lack of socialistic direction and its failure to provide the lavish patronage they had expected . Furthermore , Röhm and his SA colleagues thought of their force as the core of the future German army , replacing the Reichswehr and its longstanding professional officer corps . By this time , the SA had swollen to over three million men , dwarfing the Reichswehr , which was limited to 100 , 000 men by the Treaty of Versailles . Although Röhm had been a member of the officer corps , he viewed them as " old fogies " who lacked " revolutionary spirit . " He believed that the Reichswehr should be merged into the SA to form a true " people ' s army " under his command . At a February 1934 cabinet meeting , he demanded that the Reichswehr be absorbed into the SA under his leadership as Minister of Defense . This horrified the army , with its traditions going back to Frederick the Great . The army officer corps viewed the SA as a brawling mob of undisciplined street fighters , and were also concerned by the pervasiveness of homosexuality and " corrupt morals " within the ranks of the SA . Further , reports of a huge cache of weapons in the hands of SA members raised further concern among the Reichswehr leadership . Not surprisingly , the entire officer corps opposed Röhm ' s proposal , insisting that discipline and honor would vanish if the SA gained control ; but Röhm and the SA would settle for nothing less . Hitler privately shared much of Röhm ' s animus toward the traditionalists in the army , but he had gained power with the army ' s support . He also wanted to rebuild the army into a strong and disciplined unit , and felt he needed the officer corps ' help to do it . On the political side , Hitler was well aware that the army had the ear of President Paul von Hindenburg , who since the passage of the Enabling Act was effectively the only check on his power . Additionally , he was already angling to succeed the 86 - year - old Hindenburg as head of state , and needed the army ' s support to do it . True to his nature , Hitler had already begun preparing for the coming politicomilitary struggle . In February 1934 , he told British diplomat Anthony Eden of his plan to reduce the SA by two - thirds . That same month , he announced that the SA would be left with only a few minor military functions . Röhm responded with complaints against Hitler , and began expanding the armed elements of the SA . To many , it appeared as if the SA was planning or threatening a rebellion . In March Röhm offered a compromise in which a few thousand SA leaders would be taken into the army , but the army promptly rejected it . On 11 April 1934 , Hitler met with German military leaders on the ship " Deutschland . " By this time , he knew Hindenburg would die before the end of the year . Hitler informed them of Hindenburg ' s declining health and proposed the Reichswehr support him as Hindenburg ' s successor . In exchange , he offered to reduce the SA , suppress Röhm ' s ambitions and guarantee the Reichswehr would be Germany ' s only military force . According to William L . Shirer , Hitler also promised to expand the army and navy . But both the Reichswehr and the conservative business community continued to complain to Hindenburg against the SA . In early June , defense minister Werner von Blomberg issued an ultimatum to Hitler from Hindenburg : unless Hitler took immediate steps to end the growing tension in Germany , Hindenburg would declare martial law and turn over control of the country to the army . Knowing such a step could forever deprive him of power , Hitler decided to carry out his pact with the Reichswehr to suppress the SA . This meant a showdown with Röhm . In Hitler ' s view , the army and the SA constituted the only real remaining power centers in Germany that were independent of his National Socialist state . The army was willing to submit . Blomberg had the swastika added to the army ' s insignia in February and ended the army ' s practice of preference for " old army " descent in new officers , replacing it with a requirement of " consonance with the new government . " Death . Although determined to curb the power of the SA , Hitler put off doing away with his long - time comrade to the very end . A political struggle within the party grew , with those closest to Hitler , including Prussian premier Hermann Göring , Propaganda Minister Joseph Goebbels and SS Chief Heinrich Himmler , positioning themselves against Röhm . To isolate the latter , on 20 April 1934 ( Hitler ' s 45th birthday ) Göring transferred control of the Prussian political police ( Gestapo ) to Himmler , who he believed could be counted on to move against Röhm . Himmler , Heydrich and Göring used Röhm ' s published anti - Hitler rhetoric to support the claim that the SA was plotting to overthrow Hitler . Himmler and his deputy Heydrich , chief of the SS Security Service ( " Sicherheitsdienst " or SD ) , built up a dossier of fabricated evidence to suggest that Röhm had been paid twelve million marks by France to overthrow Hitler . Leading officers were shown falsified evidence on 24 June that Röhm planned to use the SA to launch a plot against the government , the so - called . Reports of the SA threat were passed to Hitler , who felt it was time to act . Meanwhile Göring , Himmler , Heydrich and Victor Lutze ( at Hitler ' s direction ) drew up lists of people inside and outside the SA marked for death . Himmler and Heydrich issued marching orders to the SS , while Sepp Dietrich went around showing army officers a purported SA execution list . Meanwhile , Röhm and several of his companions went on holiday at a resort in Bad Wiessee . On 28 June , Hitler phoned Röhm and asked him to gather all the SA leaders at Bad Wiessee on 30 June for a conference . Röhm agreed , apparently unsuspecting . The Night of the Long Knives began two days later . At dawn on 30 June , Hitler flew to Munich and drove to Bad Wiessee , where he personally arrested Röhm and the other SA leaders , who were all consigned to Stadelheim prison in Munich . From 30 June to 2 July 1934 the entire leadership of the SA was purged , along with many other political adversaries of the Nazis . Hitler was hesitant in authorizing Röhm ' s execution , and gave him the option of suicide . On 2 July , SS - " Brigadeführer " Theodor Eicke ( then Kommandant of the Dachau concentration camp ) and SS - " Obersturmbannführer " Michael Lippert walked into his cell , laid a pistol on the table , told Röhm he had ten minutes to use it and left . He refused , stating , " If I am to be killed , let Adolf do it himself . " Having heard nothing after the stipulated ten minutes , Eicke and Lippert returned to Röhm ' s cell to find him standing with his bare chest puffed out in a gesture of defiance , and Lippert shot him in the chest at point - blank range . He was buried in the Westfriedhof ( Western Cemetery ) in Munich . The purge of the SA was legalized the next day with a one - paragraph decree : the " Law Regarding Measures of State Self - Defense " . At this time no public reference was made to the alleged SA rebellion , but only generalised references to misconduct , perversion and some sort of plot . John Toland noted that Hitler had long been privately aware that Röhm and his SA associates were homosexuals ; In their defense he stated that ' the SA are a band of warriors and not a moral institution . ' A few days later , the claim of an incipient SA rebellion was publicized and became the official reason for the entire wave of arrests and executions . Indeed , the affair was labelled the " Röhm - Putsch " by German historians , although after World War II the claim has usually been qualified as " the alleged Röhm - Putsch " or known as the " Night of the Long Knives . " In a speech on 13 July , Hitler alluded to Röhm ' s homosexuality but explained the purge as mainly a defense against treason . In an attempt to erase Röhm from German history , all known copies of the 1933 propaganda film " Der Sieg des Glaubens " ( " Victory of Faith " ) , in which Röhm appeared , were ordered destroyed in 1934 . " Der Sieg des Glaubens " was long thought to have been lost until a single copy was found in storage in Britain in the 1990s . The 1935 film " Triumph des Willens " ( " Triumph of Will " ) , produced in 1934 , showed the new Nazi hierarchy , with the SS as the Nazis ' premier uniformed paramilitary group and Röhm replaced by Victor Lutze as the far less powerful new head of the SA .