| July 31 |  |
Editor says, what if Rohm Strikes First? Please note that the opinions expressed in this post do not necessarily reflect the views of the author(s). This story was published in the August 2011 edition of Changing the Times Magazine.
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In 1934, the conviction for treason and subsequent hanging of Ernst Röhm provided those senior Nazi Party Officials who had survived the "Night of the Long Knives" with bitter satisfaction because the Government of Adolf Hitler had been fatally weakened by the SA Commander's pre-emptive counterstrike.
Night of the Long KnivesAfter Hitler's takeover had failed to deliver radical change the Sturmabteilung began to regard themselves as the vanguard of the National Socialist revolution. But in fact, Hitler's use of the SA as storm troopers was a political weapon he no longer needed and he had planned his own move against them for July 2nd. And so the time for a violent confrontation had finally arrived.
But an execution list drawn up by Schutzstaffel leaders Himmler and Heydrich had somehow found its way into Röhm's possession1. And when Hitler telephoned him on June 28th inviting him to gather the SA leaders at Bad Wiessee he decided to pre-emptively counterstrike rather than fall into a trap.
Cloaked in popularism, Röhm had gained the support of disorganized Socialist, and Communists. Problem was that the ultimate goal of the SA was to become the future army of Germany, replacing the Reichswehr and its professional officers who needed little encouragement to crush the rebellion. And so the Government survived, but at a terrible cost, because the Regular Army would never cow to Hitler and his expansionist plans for Germany.
Entry posted by Todayinah Editor
© Alternate Historian, 2004-.Story Tags
Permalinks: Post, Day. Browse Thread: Generals Source: Wikipedia Labels: Whiskey Rebellion, George Washington, America, Liberty, United States. Editor says, in this post we explore a discussion on the Different Worlds web site. (1) is our POD.
~ Your stating that Germany is now ruled by the officer corps?
~ You also have the problem that while the higher SA leadership was estranged from Adolph, the mass of the SA men were not. So what Rohm would have needed was loyalist special units [think what Himmler did with the SS]. He does his own preemptive night and fog in the name of Hitler. Himmler, Heydrich, Goring, Goebbels etc. are killed and Hiler taken 'under guard'. The 'funny' part of all this is that is Rohm succeeds before the Army and the reserves crush hit the Ntionalists get what they wanted - Hitler as a front for a regime of technocrats and the old elites.
~ I don't think the SA could have replaced the Heer, whatever its leaders thought. The average German revered the Army, and a lot of them thought of the SA as a bunch of street thugs.
~ Well, the SA WERE a bunch of street thugs.
~ To put it mildly.
~ At least Europe would be spared much of the turmoil Germany would feel.
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