The term Sturmabteilung predates the founding of the Nazi Party in 1919. Originally it was applied to the specialized assault troops of Imperial Germany in World War I who used infiltration tactics based on being organized … See more

Hitler had his own reasons for wanting Röhm removed. Some of his powerful supporters had been complaining about Röhm for some time. The generals opposed Röhm's desire to have the SA, a force of over three million men, absorb the much smaller … See more

The SA was organized into several large regional Gruppen ("Groups"). The group leader answered only to the Stabschef-SA or Hitler. Each … See more

After Hitler and the Nazis obtained national power, the SA leadership also became increasingly eager for power. By the end of 1933, the SA … See more

After the Night of the Long Knives, the SA continued to operate, under the leadership of Stabschef Viktor Lutze, but the group was significantly downsized. Within a year's time, the SA … See more

The leader of the SA was known as the Oberster SA-Führer, translated as Supreme SA-Leader. The following men held this position: See more

• Oberste SA-Führung (Supreme SA-Command & Control)
• Gruppe (Group): consisting of several brigades
• Brigade: 3 to 9 Standarten
• Standarte (Standard, regiment sized unit): 3 to 5 … See more