Hitler’s Storm troopers, The SA, The Nazis’ Brown shirts, 1922-1945

In Germany, after 1918, armed units were operated by political 
Parties and political groups as a standard element of their 
structure. This book provides an insight into the Sturmabteilung 
der NSDAP. It is carefully researched and illustrated by 
sketches and drawings. Essential reading for anyone wishing to 
understand the political scene in Germany between the World 
Wars, and the rise of the Nazi Party, Recommended.

NAME: Hitler's Storm troopers, The SA, The Nazis' Brown shirts, 
1922-1945
FILE: R2392
AUTHOR:  Jean-Denis Lepage
PUBLISHER: Pen & Sword, frontline
BINDING: hard back 
PAGES:  297
PRICE: £25.00
GENRE: Non Fiction
SUBJECT: Black Reichswehr, SA, SS, Sturmabteilung, Rohm, Hitler, 
Himmler, Night of the Long Knives, Crystal Night, Heidrich, NSDAP
ISBN: 1-84832-425-1
IMAGE: B2392.jpg
BUYNOW: http://tinyurl.com/ht5j25q
LINKS: Current Discount Offers http://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/sale 
DESCRIPTION: In Germany, after 1918, armed units were operated by 
political Parties and political groups as a standard element of 
their structure. This book provides an insight into the 
Sturmabteilung der NSDAP. It is carefully researched and illustrated 
by sketches and drawings. Essential reading for anyone wishing to 
understand the political scene in Germany between the World Wars, 
and the rise of the Nazi Party, Recommended.

After 1918, Germany was almost constantly on the verge of civil war. 
The Communists attempted a number of coups from the ending of 
hostilities, provoking a backlash from the political right. 
Unemployed soldiers flocked to the Black Reichswehr to fight armed 
communists. They were equipped as a field army and included artillery 
and other support weapons. They toured Germany searching communists 
to attack and were often invited by local government leaders to come 
and 'sort out' communists and other political groups in their local 
areas.

Hitler joined the NSDAP and rapidly became its acknowledged leader. 
He was keen to build his own paramilitary power base and the result 
was the SA. They were modelled on the WWI storm/assault battalions 
with their own uniform, structure and rank titles. They did have 
access to infantry arms but were not intended to follow the Black 
Reichswehr as a fully armed military force capable of fighting set 
piece battles. The SA were primarily there to strike fear into anyone 
who did not support the growing Nazi Party.

Ernst Rohm led the SA, but his differences of opinion with Hitler 
developed to the point where Hitler saw him as a threat and dealt 
accordingly. The bloody  purge of the SA in June 1934, the Night of 
the Long Knives, resulted in Rohm and many other SA leaders being 
killed and the SA reduced significantly. Essentially, the conflicting 
ambitions of Rohm and Himmler were settled in Himmler's favour, the 
SS effectively replacing the rump of the SA.

There have been a number of contending theories and beliefs about the 
role of the SA, its relationship to Hitler and the rise of the NAZI 
Party. The author has revealed the history of the SA and provided 
assertions, conclusions and insight. More than 100 illustrations 
support the text very effectively. Whether this book will completely 
settle all contending views of the SA remains to be seen, but it 
advances credible accounts.

When the NSDAP was growing, and coming under Hitler's control, it was 
subject to important changes. Hitler had already formed a policy of 
gaining power through the ballot box after his initial and unsuccessful 
attempt at gaining power by putsch. Those leading the SA were still 
thinking of gaining power through revolution and that was a significant 
difference that could not easily be overcome. As Hitler and the SA 
diverged, Rohm increasingly saw himself as the future leader and the 
poisonous NAZI Party environment, with Hitler often encouraging 
internal conflict, was inevitably going to lead to one side winning 
by force.

This book is the most effective account of the SA within the NAZI Party 
to have been published. This is a field were one can never say that a 
definitive book cannot be equalled or bettered in the future, but that 
seems unlikely.