Ernst Röhm

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Lore & Background

Ernst Röhm was a stocky, broad-shouldered man whose face bore deep scars from a serious wound he received in combat during the First World War. He was known among his comrades as a fanatical, simple-minded swashbuckler who showed a frequent contempt for danger. His range of activity was centered in Germany, particularly in Munich and Bavaria, where he was born and where he built his political and paramilitary career. He also spent time in Bolivia, where he served as an advisor to the Bolivian Army after a break with Hitler. His primary habitat was the world of right-wing paramilitary organizations and the Nazi Party, where he used his military connections to build up several such groups. A defining characteristic was his role as a close friend and early ally of Adolf Hitler, co-founding and leading the SA, the Nazi Party’s original paramilitary wing. He was a German military officer and politician who served as chief of the SA from 1931 until his assassination. He was wounded three times in World War I and received the Iron Cross First Class. After the war, he continued as a captain in the Reichswehr and assisted Franz Ritter von Epp’s Freikorps. He joined the German Workers’ Party in 1919 and became a leading member of the Nazi Party. His homosexuality gradually became public knowledge, intensifying opposition to him. He called for a “second revolution” focused on socialist economic reforms and sought to absorb the traditional German army into his SA to create a radical “Soldier’s State,” which led to his elimination by the SS during the Night of the Long Knives.

Reader's Guide

Ernst Röhm’s behaviour was marked by a fanatical, simple-minded swashbuckling style and a frequent contempt for danger, traits noted by his comrades during his military service. As a leading member of the Nazi Party and co-founder of its paramilitary wing, the SA, he used his extensive military connections to build up several paramilitary groups in service of Adolf Hitler. His ecology was that of a political street fighter: he reorganised the SA into a force of over a million members that carried out a campaign of political violence against communists, rival parties, Jews, and other groups deemed hostile to the Nazi agenda. His significance stems from his role in the Nazi Party’s rise to power through intimidation, but his calls for a “second revolution” focused on socialist economic reforms and wealth redistribution alarmed conservative elites and powerful industrialists. He also sought to absorb the traditional German army into his SA to create a radical “Soldier’s State” with himself as its commander, directly threatening the Reichswehr’s autonomy. This made him a rival and liability to Hitler, who, to secure backing from the military and establishment, ordered his assassination during the Night of the Long Knives. Röhm’s death ended the SA’s independent power and solidified Hitler’s control over the party and state.

Did You Know?

• Ernst Röhm was wounded three times during the First World War and received the Iron Cross First Class.
• He took part in Hitler's failed Beer Hall Putsch in 1923 and received a suspended prison sentence.
• Röhm broke with Hitler in 1925 over the future direction of the Nazi Party and emigrated to Bolivia.
• He served as an advisor to the Bolivian Army after emigrating from Germany.
• Röhm was assassinated by the SS during the Night of the Long Knives in 1934.