- "There is no S.A., not after tonight. For you, this is the Night of the Long Knives."
- ―Johann Schmidt[src]
The Sturmabteilung, abbreviated S.A., was a paramilitary organization operating under Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party before World War II.
History[]
- "The only way the army would support Der Führer's regime was if your stormtroopers were eliminated."
- ―Johann Schmidt[src]
When the Nazi Party was formed after World War I, the Nazis organized a paramilitary unit to protect their rallies. The unit was named the Sturmabteilung, but it was also known as the S.A.. The S.A. soldiers were known as the stormtroopers of the Nazi Party. A small branch of the S.A., the Schutzstaffel, also known as the S.S., was led by Heinrich Himmler.
When the Nazis came to power in Germany in 1933, the S.A.'s power grew. They had their own Special Weapons Division, led by Ernst Kaufmann. The best scientists of Germany, like Arnim Zola, worked in the S.A. weapons testing facility in Kummersdorf.
The S.A. troopers defend Kummersdorf against the S.S.
Night of the Long Knives[]
In 1934, to gain support from the Wehrmacht for his regime, Adolf Hitler ordered the assassinations of all higher officers of the S.A.. That purge later became known as the Night of the Long Knives. Himmler used the situation to make the S.S. an independent organization, while Johann Schmidt assassinated Kaufmann and took over his weapons testing program.[1]
Trivia[]
- In reality, the S.A. was never involved in special weapons research. The Weapons Testing Ground at Kummersdorf was controlled by the Wehrmacht.
- In the limited comic book series Red Skull: Incarnate, Johann Schmidt was a member of the Sturmabteilung before he became Adolf Hitler's bodyguard.
