Sturmabteilung

German militia, also known as Brownshirts, of the Nazi Party, established in 1921 under the leadership of Ernst Röhm, in charge of physical training and political indoctrination.

Originally uniformed stewards to organize demonstrations, they became street brawlers who dealt with any political opposition to party rallies. When the Nazis gained power 1933 their strength was about 400,000 and they considered themselves the rival to the German Army. At the instigation of the Army and SS leaders, Hitler had all the SA's leaders murdered 30 June 1933, the ‘Night of the Long Knives’, and the organization disbanded.