New SA book:

[TxGauleiter]

from the Amazon description..

"In the Nazi rise to power a key role was played by the Nazi storm troopers - the SA. This was a paramilitary organization designed for defense of Nazi Party meetings and attacks on its political opponents. It formed the workforce for Nazi political activity in the lead up to the takeover of power in 1933. Despite its pivotal role until 1934, when it was purged and rendered politically powerless by Hitler, the SA has been surprisingly understudied by historians.
Wilfred von Oven's Nazism was linked with the career of Josef Goebbels, both as propaganda minister and as Nazi party regional leader of Berlin in the early 1930s. Von Oven's experience was of the SA in Berlin, perhaps the most extreme of the SA branches. The book is most valuable when it recounts von Oven's own experiences in the SA, his own views at the time and his personal encounters with Goebbels.
This fascinating history is an unapologetic defense of the SA against postwar revelations - the author presents a strongly pro-SA point of view. Von Oven remained unrepentant to the end: indeed, not long before his death he described his experience of Nazi rule as 'paradise'."

one can only hope it is as rich in first-person accounts as our favorite Luftwaffe Blue thread featuring his interview with SA Mann Georg.

http://www.amazon.com/HITLERS-STORM-.../dp/1848325762

[luftwaffe blue]

I have this on order too, thank you for the Positive comments, I'm checking if it is going to be in German for Georg also, Sean

[Erich B.]

It's not a new book; my copy was published by Arndt in 1998.
Erich

[likelugers2]

Sa

Sir, can you explain the SA's role after 1934? Why were SA Walther PP's issued, which were mainly made from 1937-39 and some in 1940, if the SA was basically purged after Hitlers takeover?

[ErichS]

It looks like a good book and I just ordered a copy as well.

[luftwaffe blue]

Sir, can you explain the SA's role after 1934? Why were SA Walther PP's issued, which were mainly made from 1937-39 and some in 1940, if the SA was basically purged after Hitlers takeover?

The SA was not purged from top to bottom, the upper officers were the main victims in 1934 those loyal to Rohm.(and others who had crossed Himmler and the other leaders)
The SA continued under Lutze who by all accounts was a yes man and more or less made the SA subordinate to Hitler rather then the revolutionary elements that favoured Rohm.
The SA were used in civil defence,WHW and also against any civil unrest, and also used of course heavily on Kristalnacht.
Guns were an every day item in 1930s Germany and the SA still played a role but to a lesser extent after 1934. Sean

[Br. James]

My copy of "Hitler's Storm Troopers: A History of the SA" just arrived today and I'm anxious to read it. Many thanks to TxGauleiter for alerting us to this new edition! And further to luftwaffe blue's response to likelugers2's question, keep in mind that the purge known as the Night of Long Knives of June 30-July 2, 1934 only involved about 250 of the SA's top leadership -- and not all of that top leadership was sacrificed, such as Viktor Lutze who ascended to Röhm's post after that bloody weekend. At that time the SA had more than three and a half million members, so a couple of hundred is a drop in the bucket. There were, of course, quite a few more than SA leaders who were 'taken care of' at this opportune time -- opportune for Göring, Goebbels and Himmler in particular. Even Lutze was suspect by Himmler, as were all of the highest SA leaders, and for good reason; loyalty was very important to Röhm as it was to Hitler himself. The SA leadership generally supported Röhm's push for absorbing the Army into the SA, which would have been advantageous to the SA...at least in the short run.

By 1934 the function of the SA within the NSDAP had essentially been accomplished. When Hitler was appointed Reichschancellor and the NSDAP was the largest political party in the Reichstag, the battle known as the Kampfzeit had been won. So the positive quality of raising and maintaining a private army had quickly become a hindrance: what should the function of an army be when it is no longer necessary after the war had been won?! This is the interesting time for the SA, when their glory days were in their past and their organization had accomplished its goal and achieved its purpose.

Br. James

[ErichS]

I just started reading my copy and so far so good!