---
title: "Life and Death of Ernst Röhm"
description: "Ernst Röhm was a key Nazi leader and head of the SA who played a major role in Hitler’s rise to power before being executed during the Night of the Long Knives in 1934."
url: "https://www.normandy1944.info/home/commanders/life-and-death-of-ernst-roehm"
date: "2026-07-30T14:48:23+00:00"
language: "en-GB"
---

![Life and Death of Ernst Röhm](https://www.normandy1944.info/images/commanders/german/d-day-normandy-beyond-commanders-ernst-ro%CC%88hm-bw.jpg)

#  Ernst Röhm

## Leader of the Sturmabteilung (SA)

Country of origin: Germany

- [ Ernst Röhm](#)

Commanders

##  Who was 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**](https://www.normandy1944.info/home/commanders/life-and-death-of-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**](https://www.normandy1944.info/home/commanders/life-and-death-of-hermann-goering) and [**Heinrich Himmler**](https://www.normandy1944.info/home/commanders/life-and-death-of-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**](https://www.normandy1944.info/home/commanders/life-and-death-of-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.

### Key Dates

**28 November 1887:** Born in Munich, Kingdom of Bavaria, German Empire.
**1906:** Entered the Bavarian Army as an officer cadet.
**1908:** Commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the Bavarian Army.
**August 1914:** Served in the German Army during the First World War.
**1920:** Joined the German Workers' Party (DAP), which later became the National Socialist German Workers' Party (NSDAP).
**8–9 November 1923:** Participated in the Beer Hall Putsch in Munich.
**1928:** Resigned from the SA and entered military service in Bolivia.
**1930:** Returned to Germany at Adolf Hitler's request to reorganise the Sturmabteilung (SA).
**5 January 1931:** Appointed Stabschef (Chief of Staff) of the SA.
**30 January 1933:** Supported Adolf Hitler's appointment as Chancellor and oversaw the rapid expansion of the SA.
**30 June 1934:** Arrested during the Night of the Long Knives on Adolf Hitler's orders.
**1 July 1934:** Executed at Stadelheim Prison in Munich after refusing to commit suicide.

 ![Life and Death of Ernst Röhm](https://www.normandy1944.info/images/commanders/german/d-day-normandy-beyond-commanders-Ernst_Julius_Gu%CC%88nther_Ro%CC%88hm.jpg)

 Personal information

- Ernst Röhm
- Born: 28 November 1887
- Munich
- Died: 1 July 1934 (aged 46)
- Stadelheim Prison, Munich

---

 Highest achievement:

 Leader of the Sturmabteilung (SA)

---

 Signature

 ![](https://www.normandy1944.info/images/autographs/Ernst_Rohm_signature.png)

Ernst Röhm's signature

---

 [ More info can be found here ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ernst_R%C3%B6hm)

Page updated on: 05 July 2026

---

 Ernst Röhm's medals and awards

Below are some of the primary medals and awards associated with this biography, illustrated in part by identical, period-original examples from my personal collection.

 ![Iron Cross 2nd Class](https://www.normandy1944.info/images/medals/germany/1939-Eisenkreuz-2-Klasse.png)

Iron Cross 2nd Class

Awarded for exceptional bravery in the face of the enemy or for significant military contributions

 ![Iron Cross 1st Class](https://www.normandy1944.info/images/medals/germany/1939-Eisenkreuz-1-Klasse.png)

Iron Cross 1st Class

Prestigious German military decoration awarded for multiple acts of bravery in combat

 ![Wounded badge WW1](https://www.normandy1944.info/images/medals/germany/German-Wounded-badge-WW1.png)

Wounded badge WW1

For soldiers in WW1 who suffered three or four wounds.

 ![Prince Regent Luitpold Medal](https://www.normandy1944.info/images/medals/germany/Prince_Regent_Luitpold_Medal.png)

Prince Regent Luitpold Medal

Awarded for demonstration of loyal service and dedication to the Royal house.

 ![Military Merit Order (Bavaria), 4th Class with Swords](https://www.normandy1944.info/images/medals/germany/Military_Merit_Order_Bavaria_4th_Class_with_Swords.png)

Military Merit Order (Bavaria), 4th Class with Swords

Commonly awarded to recognize bravery in front-line service.

 ![Blood Order](https://www.normandy1944.info/images/medals/germany/Blood-Order-Medal.png)

Blood Order

To commemorate the failed Beer Hall Putsch, a coup attempt in Munich

 ![Gold Party Badge](https://www.normandy1944.info/images/medals/germany/Honorary-Badge-in-Gold-of-the-NSDAP.png)

Gold Party Badge

Awarded to certain members of the party who merited special treatment.

 ![Freikorps von Epp Badge](https://www.normandy1944.info/images/medals/germany/Freikorps_von_Epp_Badge.png)

Freikorps von Epp Badge

Badge was worn to identify early anti-communist actions.

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