Life and death of Ernst Röhm

Ernst Julius Günther Röhm (28 November 1887 – 1 July 1934) was a German army officer, early member of the Nazi Party and Chief of Staff of the Sturmabteilung (SA), the paramilitary organization commonly known as the Brownshirts. One of Adolf Hitler's closest early associates, Röhm played a central role in building the SA into a mass organization that helped the Nazi Party gain power in Germany. His growing influence, his ambitions for the SA and his conflict with the traditional German Army eventually led to his arrest and execution during the Night of the Long Knives in 1934.

Quick Facts

Full name: Ernst Julius Günther Röhm
Born: 28 November 1887, Munich, Bavaria, German Empire
Died: 1 July 1934, Stadelheim Prison, Munich, Germany
Age at death: 46
Rank: SA-Stabschef (Chief of Staff of the SA)
Organization: Sturmabteilung (SA), Nazi Party (NSDAP)
Known for: Leader of the SA and early associate of Adolf Hitler
Historical significance: Helped build the Nazi Party's paramilitary power and became a central figure in the Night of the Long Knives

Early Life and Family

Ernst Röhm was born in Munich, Bavaria, into a middle-class family. He developed an interest in military life at an early age and chose a career in the army. Unlike many later Nazi leaders, Röhm's background was strongly rooted in professional military service rather than party politics. He joined the Bavarian Army as an officer cadet and pursued a conventional military career before the outbreak of the First World War. His early years in the army shaped his views on discipline, comradeship and the use of force in political life.

Service in the First World War

During the First World War, Röhm served on the Western Front as an officer in the German Army. He was wounded several times, including a severe facial injury that left him permanently scarred. For his wartime service, Röhm received the Iron Cross 2nd Class in 1914 and the Iron Cross 1st Class in 1916. By the end of the war, he had reached the rank of captain and had gained a reputation as an experienced and courageous front-line officer.

Post-War Years

Germany's defeat in 1918 deeply affected Röhm, as it did many former officers. He opposed the Treaty of Versailles and rejected the political order of the Weimar Republic. Like many veterans of his generation, he became involved in nationalist and paramilitary circles during the turbulent years after the war.

Röhm remained connected to military and political networks that sought to rebuild German power and oppose communism. These activities brought him into contact with early members of the nationalist movement in Munich, including Adolf Hitler.

Joining the Nazi Movement

Röhm became one of the earliest supporters of the National Socialist German Workers' Party (NSDAP). He recognized the usefulness of paramilitary organization and helped connect the young Nazi movement with former soldiers, nationalist groups and arms networks. Within the early Nazi Party, Röhm became a key figure in the development of the Sturmabteilung (SA). The SA, also known as the Brownshirts, was used to protect Nazi meetings, intimidate political opponents and project power in the streets of Weimar Germany.

The Beer Hall Putsch

On 8–9 November 1923, Röhm participated in the failed Beer Hall Putsch, Adolf Hitler's attempted coup against the Bavarian and Weimar governments. The putsch failed, but Röhm's loyalty to Hitler strengthened his position within the movement. Following the attempted coup, the Nazi Party was temporarily banned and many of its leaders were arrested or forced into political inactivity. Röhm remained an important figure in nationalist circles and later received the Blood Order for his participation in the events of November 1923.

Personal Life

Ernst Röhm never married and did not cultivate a public family image. He was homosexual, a fact known to Adolf Hitler and other senior members of the Nazi movement, although it was not publicly acknowledged in the early years of the party. Röhm's private life later became politically significant. During internal power struggles within the Nazi regime, his sexuality was used by his enemies as part of the propaganda campaign against him and the SA leadership.

Return to Germany and Leadership of the SA

After a period away from central Nazi politics, including military advisory work abroad, Röhm returned to Germany in 1930 at Hitler's request. He resumed leadership of the SA and began transforming it into a massive paramilitary organization. Röhm maintained a close personal relationship with Hitler. He was one of the few senior figures permitted to address Hitler using the informal German "du", reflecting his status as an early and trusted supporter.

Power in Nazi Germany

Under Röhm's leadership, the SA grew rapidly and reached several million members by the early 1930s. The organization played a major role in intimidating political opponents and helping the Nazi Party gain power. After Hitler became Chancellor of Germany on 30 January 1933, Röhm became one of the most powerful figures in the Nazi movement as Chief of Staff of the SA. He believed the SA should become the foundation of a new revolutionary army and sought to transform it into a force that would replace or absorb the traditional German military, the Reichswehr.

Conflict with Hitler and the Army

Röhm's ambitions brought him into direct conflict with the leadership of the Reichswehr. Senior army officers viewed the SA as undisciplined, politically dangerous and a threat to the professional military establishment. Other senior Nazi figures, including Hermann Göring and Heinrich Himmler, also regarded Röhm as a threat to their own power. By 1934, tensions between Röhm, the army and the Nazi leadership had reached a critical point.

Röhm's calls for a "second revolution" alarmed conservative elites and army leaders whose support Hitler needed to consolidate his dictatorship. At the same time, the size and independence of the SA made Röhm increasingly difficult for Hitler to control.

The Night of the Long Knives

The conflict came to a head during the purge known as the Night of the Long Knives. Between 30 June and 2 July 1934, Hitler ordered a crackdown on the SA leadership and other perceived political opponents. Röhm was arrested on 30 June 1934 at Bad Wiessee, where several senior SA leaders had gathered. He was taken to Stadelheim Prison in Munich and held while Hitler decided his fate.

On 1 July 1934, Röhm was given the opportunity to commit suicide but refused. Acting on Hitler's orders, Theodor Eicke and Michael Lippert entered his cell and shot him dead.

Death

Ernst Röhm died on 1 July 1934 at Stadelheim Prison in Munich. He was 46 years old. His death marked the end of the SA as an independent power center within the Nazi movement. Following the purge, Hitler publicly justified the killings as necessary to prevent treason and restore order. In reality, Röhm's execution helped remove a major rival, secure the loyalty of the army and strengthen the position of the SS under Heinrich Himmler.

Historical Significance

Ernst Röhm played a central role in the rise of the Nazi Party and the establishment of its power in Germany. As leader of the SA, he helped build the movement's paramilitary strength and contributed to the destabilization of the Weimar Republic. His death during the Night of the Long Knives marked a turning point in Nazi Germany. The purge consolidated Hitler's personal control, reduced the power of the SA, strengthened the SS and helped secure the support of the traditional German Army.

Röhm's career illustrates the internal power struggles within the Nazi regime and the extent to which political violence was used to gain and maintain control. His rise and fall also show how early loyalty to Hitler did not protect even senior Nazi figures once they were perceived as threats.

Awards and Decorations

• Iron Cross 2nd Class (1914)
• Iron Cross 1st Class (1916)
• Military Merit Order (Bavaria), 4th Class with Swords
• Wound Badge
• Blood Order

Here below is an overview of some of them.