Behind the Page... Night of the Long Knives

During the "Night of the Long Knives," thousands of Nazi SAs were murdered by the SS. The head of the SA, Ernst Rohm, was embroiled in a power struggle with the head of the SS Heinrich Himmler. Rohm lost. On the pretext that Rohm was a homosexual, Himmler had Rohm murdered (along with a thousand- maybe more- other SA members). Hitler and Himmler also used this as an opportunity to murder a few German generals that they suspected would oppose their long-term plans for Germany. This event solidified both Hitler's and Himmler's power base. Because of the Enabling Act giving near dictatorial powers to Hitler, no real legal recourse was pursued. The photograph is of Hitler and Rohm.