Leadership ranks of the Sturmabteilung
Encyclopedia
Leadership ranks of the Sturmabteilung were the titles and positions
held by the commanders of the Sturmabteilung
(SA) of the Nazi Party between the years of 1920 and 1945.
The supreme commander of the entire SA was Oberster SA-Führer, a titular position
, while Chef des Stabes, the Chief of Staff, oversaw the day-to-day operations of the group.
To centralize the loyalty of the SA, Hitler personally assumed command of the entire organization in 1930 and remained Oberster SA-Führer for the duration of the group's existence. After 1931, it is those who held the rank of Stabschef, such as Ernst Röhm
, who are generally accepted as the commanders of the SA.
The Oberster SA-Führer had no particular uniform insignia and was a paramilitary
title that could be denoted in a variety of ways. Göring, for instance, created an elaborate uniform, with swastika armband accompanied with white service stripes. In contrast, Maurice wore simply a brown Nazi stormtrooper shirt with no insignia, as did Hitler when he held the title of Oberster SA-Führer.
After its creation in 1931, Stabschef was considered the actual leader of the SA.
Lutze succeeded Röhm after Röhm was murdered, and Schepmann succeeded Lutze after Lutze died in a car crash.
Initial insignia for Stabschef consisted of an oak leaf patch worn on the collar of the stormtrooper uniform. Photographic evidence shows Röhm wearing such an insignia in his early days as Stabschef. As Röhm's authority increased, so did his insignia. Photographs from mid-1931 show Röhm wearing a two- and then a three-leaf insignia design. After 1933, the insignia for Stabschef consisted of a "crossed lances" pattern wreathed by a half oak leaf circle. Personally designed by Röhm, it was based on the insignia of a Bolivia
n general
(Röhm served as a German military advisor to Bolivia in the late 1920s).
After Röhm was murdered during the Night of the Long Knives
in 1934, his successor Lutze changed the insignia to a wreathed oak leaf pattern identical to the insignia of Reichsführer-SS
. This remained as the insignia until the end of the war, and the Sturmabteilung, in 1945.
Military rank
Military rank is a system of hierarchical relationships in armed forces or civil institutions organized along military lines. Usually, uniforms denote the bearer's rank by particular insignia affixed to the uniforms...
held by the commanders of the Sturmabteilung
Sturmabteilung
The Sturmabteilung functioned as a paramilitary organization of the National Socialist German Workers' Party . It played a key role in Adolf Hitler's rise to power in the 1920s and 1930s...
(SA) of the Nazi Party between the years of 1920 and 1945.
The supreme commander of the entire SA was Oberster SA-Führer, a titular position
Titular head
A titular ruler, or titular head, is a person in an official position of leadership who possesses few, if any, actual powers. Sometimes a person may inhabit a position of titular leadership and yet exercise more power than would normally be expected, as a result of their personality or experience...
, while Chef des Stabes, the Chief of Staff, oversaw the day-to-day operations of the group.
Oberste SA-Führer
- Emil MauriceEmil MauriceEmil Maurice was an early member of the Nazi Party and is regarded by historians as the founder of the SS. A watchmaker by trade, Maurice was a close associate of Adolf Hitler with a personal friendship dating back to at least 1919...
(1920–1921) - Hans Ulrich KlintzschHans Ulrich KlintzschHans Ulrich Klintzsch was an ex-naval lieutenant from the Erhardt Brigade who served as leader of the Oberste SA-Führer from 1921 until 11 May 1923, when he returned to his former unit and ceded control to Hermann Göring. After his career as SA-leader, he went back to the Luftwaffe...
(1921–1923) - Hermann GöringHermann GöringHermann Wilhelm Göring, was a German politician, military leader, and a leading member of the Nazi Party. He was a veteran of World War I as an ace fighter pilot, and a recipient of the coveted Pour le Mérite, also known as "The Blue Max"...
(1923) - None (1923–1925) SA abolished
- Franz Pfeffer von SalomonFranz Pfeffer von SalomonFranz Pfeffer von Salomon was the first commander of the SA after its 1925 restoration, which followed its temporary abolition in 1923 after the abortive Beer Hall Putsch....
(1926–1930) - Adolf HitlerAdolf HitlerAdolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
(1930–1945)
To centralize the loyalty of the SA, Hitler personally assumed command of the entire organization in 1930 and remained Oberster SA-Führer for the duration of the group's existence. After 1931, it is those who held the rank of Stabschef, such as Ernst Röhm
Ernst Röhm
Ernst Julius Röhm, was a German officer in the Bavarian Army and later an early Nazi leader. He was a co-founder of the Sturmabteilung , the Nazi Party militia, and later was its commander...
, who are generally accepted as the commanders of the SA.
The Oberster SA-Führer had no particular uniform insignia and was a paramilitary
Paramilitary
A paramilitary is a force whose function and organization are similar to those of a professional military, but which is not considered part of a state's formal armed forces....
title that could be denoted in a variety of ways. Göring, for instance, created an elaborate uniform, with swastika armband accompanied with white service stripes. In contrast, Maurice wore simply a brown Nazi stormtrooper shirt with no insignia, as did Hitler when he held the title of Oberster SA-Führer.
Stabschef
- Main article: Stabschef (SA)Stabschef (SA)For other uses of the term "Stabschef" please refer to Chief of StaffStabschef was an office and paramilitary rank in the Sturmabteilung , the paramilitary stormtroopers associated with the Nazi movement...
After its creation in 1931, Stabschef was considered the actual leader of the SA.
- Ernst RöhmErnst RöhmErnst Julius Röhm, was a German officer in the Bavarian Army and later an early Nazi leader. He was a co-founder of the Sturmabteilung , the Nazi Party militia, and later was its commander...
(1931 – 1934) - Viktor LutzeViktor LutzeViktor Lutze was the commander of the Sturmabteilung succeeding Ernst Röhm as Stabschef.-Early life:...
(1934 – 1943) - Wilhelm SchepmannWilhelm SchepmannWilhelm Schepmann was an SA officer in Nazi Germany and the last Stabschef of the Nazi Stormtroopers.-Biography:...
(1943 – 1945)
Lutze succeeded Röhm after Röhm was murdered, and Schepmann succeeded Lutze after Lutze died in a car crash.
Initial insignia for Stabschef consisted of an oak leaf patch worn on the collar of the stormtrooper uniform. Photographic evidence shows Röhm wearing such an insignia in his early days as Stabschef. As Röhm's authority increased, so did his insignia. Photographs from mid-1931 show Röhm wearing a two- and then a three-leaf insignia design. After 1933, the insignia for Stabschef consisted of a "crossed lances" pattern wreathed by a half oak leaf circle. Personally designed by Röhm, it was based on the insignia of a Bolivia
Bolivia
Bolivia officially known as Plurinational State of Bolivia , is a landlocked country in central South America. It is the poorest country in South America...
n general
General
A general officer is an officer of high military rank, usually in the army, and in some nations, the air force. The term is widely used by many nations of the world, and when a country uses a different term, there is an equivalent title given....
(Röhm served as a German military advisor to Bolivia in the late 1920s).
After Röhm was murdered during the Night of the Long Knives
Night of the Long Knives
The Night of the Long Knives , sometimes called "Operation Hummingbird " or in Germany the "Röhm-Putsch," was a purge that took place in Nazi Germany between June 30 and July 2, 1934, when the Nazi regime carried out a series of political murders...
in 1934, his successor Lutze changed the insignia to a wreathed oak leaf pattern identical to the insignia of Reichsführer-SS
Reichsführer-SS
was a special SS rank that existed between the years of 1925 and 1945. Reichsführer-SS was a title from 1925 to 1933 and, after 1934, the highest rank of the German Schutzstaffel .-Definition:...
. This remained as the insignia until the end of the war, and the Sturmabteilung, in 1945.
See also
- Ranks and insignia of the Nazi PartyRanks and insignia of the Nazi PartyRanks and insignia of the Nazi Party were paramilitary titles used by the National Socialist German Workers Party between approximately 1928 and the fall of Nazi Germany in 1945...
- Ranks and insignia of the SturmabteilungRanks and insignia of the SturmabteilungThe uniforms and insignia of the Sturmabteilung were Nazi party paramilitary ranks and uniforms used by SA stormtroopers from 1921 until the fall of Nazi Germany in 1945. The titles and phrases used by the SA were the basis for paramilitary titles used by several other Nazi paramilitary groups,...
- Ranks and insignia of the SchutzstaffelRanks and insignia of the SchutzstaffelThe uniforms and insignia of the Schutzstaffel were paramilitary ranks and uniforms used by the SS between 1925 and 1945 to differentiate that organization from the regular German armed forces, the German state, and the Nazi Party....
Sources
- Bedurftig, Friedemann, and Christian Zenter. The Encyclopedia of the Third ReichEncyclopedia of the Third ReichThe Encyclopedia of the Third Reich is a two-volume text edited by Christian Zenter and Friedemann Bedürftig.The Encyclopedia of Third Reich is considered one of the leading source materials for information about Nazi Germany and the reign of Adolf Hitler and the National Socialist German Workers...
. 1985.