Ernst Röhm

Biography

Ernst Röhm was born in 1887. During World War I he was commander in a company of the Bavarian Infantry Regiment No. 10. After the war he served as a political adviser in the "Freikorps" of Ritter von Epp. This formation defeated the communist organizations in Munich in 1919.

Röhm became one of the very early members of the National Socialist Party (NSDAP). His troop of young men provided protection for Adolf Hitler during the early days of the Nazi movement. In 1923 he left the army as an officer and concentrated on forming of the Storm Troops (Sturmabteilung - SA) for the NSDAP. At that time the leader of the SA was Ulrich Klintsch and later Hermann Göring. On the 9th November 1923 he took part in the unsuccessful coupé d'etat in Munich and was arrested. After his release from prison he was tasked by Adolf Hitler to reorganise the SA.

Due to some disagreement with Adolf Hitler about the further development of the SA, he left Germany in May 1925 and joined the Bolivian Army as a military adviser for the next five years.

In 1930 Hitler asked Röhm to return to Germany and take over the position as the chief of staff for the SA. Hitler then took over the position of the supreme commander of the SA (Oberster SA-Führer - OSAF). On the 30th June 1934 Hitler ordered the asassination of Röhm and several others of his opponents.

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