Night of the Long Knives // Stennes Revolt

[HansHill]

Primer on Night of the Long Knives // Stennes Revolt

June 1934 Adolf Hitler approves the executions of 6 people with a 7th Ernst Rohm being added by Herman Goring. Through a complex series of events, the list grows to an unknown number with 85 seemingly the credibly agreed upon lower limit. This was the Night Of The Long Knives.



Of the 85 confirmed executions, the most noteworthy are:

- Previous Chancellor and Reichswehr General, Kurt Von Schleicher (KVS)
- Ernst Rohm (ER) leader of the SA
- Gregor Strasser (GS)

KVS was predecessor to AH as Chancellor. In the July 32 election the NSDAP won 37% a large majority in the Reichstag, with AH seeking Chancellorship. KVS attempted to create a coalition which would split the NSDAP with himself as Chancellor.



More ominously KVS (and his co-conspirators) was central to the coup plot of 1934, whereby the Chancellor would be assassinated and the government overthrown. Knowledge of this coup was shared with (at least) one French official.



Foreknowledge of the coup seemingly influenced French foreign policy in their negotiations with Germany, constituting High Treason on the part of KVS. The credibility of these details is underscored by two French historians Jacques Benoist-Méchin and J.B. Duroselle



The mainstream seek to deny this. Wikipedia inaccurately claims the coup was fabricated giving two sources. The 1st source infact, says it was indeed credible, KVS had regular contact with the diplomat, and falls short of highlighting what exactly, was the fabrication




Bizarrely the 2nd source bases its denial of the coup squarely on the fact that Karl Ernst was due to go on his honeymoon. I cant link these sources due to copyright; they are easily found on libgen-dot-rs for review Note – Wikipedia accurate as of 24/04/2023



Ernst Rohm (ER) wished to overthrow the Reichswehr and dispense with the hundred year old Prussian military tradition, replace it with his own SA with himself in command. This was to “continue the revolution” and alienated most Germans




To understand the credibility and scope of what such a revolt would entail, its important we understand a similar revolt just 4 years prior, and how this originated and was resolved by AH. This was the Stennes Revolt of 1930-31.



In AH’s view the SA was a non-professional security apparatus, with strictly political objectives which include providing security for NSDAP rallies, events and campaigns. This revolt sought to overturn the SA’s role, displacing the Prussian military model.

AH issued a decree making the SA subordinate to the NSDAP party, and Stennes was expelled. AH’s peaceful handling of the Stennes revolt was widely acclaimed as model leadership and instilled confidence. However, the same goals would be sought again by ER in 1934.



The specifics of the mobilisation of ER’s planned coup, and initial moves by AH are relayed to us by French historian Jacques Benoist-Menchin. With the coup imminent, AH personally travels to arrest ER before his coup can commence




Gregor Strasser (GS) and brother Otto Strasser (OS) represented the left-leaning wing of the NSDAP, this philosophy has come to be known as National Bolshevism, or Strasserism. He also published the newspaper Nationaler Sozialist, with AH later shutting his paper down for being too extreme and left the NSDAP. In 1931, he led the Stennes Revolt in an advisory position.



After leaving the NSDAP, he created the Black Front movement, which would later attempt another assassination attempt on the Chancellor – with the Jew Helmut Hirsch being the designated assassin.



GS was involved in KVS’s plot to split the NSDAP and was offered Ministry of Economics under KVS as Chancellor, and was fired from the NSDAP for attempting to split the party. In 1933, when the NSDAP attained power OS fled Germany and GS retired from politics. GS name did not appear on the original 7, and it is unclear as to how he was added. Some historians (Rosenberg/Irving) suggest GS was added by Goring, in light of his brother Otto having fled and also a credible threat to National Security.

Ultimately however, it was his role in the coup plot to overthrow the government and assassinate the Chancellor, and inherit the Ministry of National Economy, as the reason for his execution.



Much has been said about the extrajudicial nature of the executions, however it must be noted that President Hindenburg specifically threatened Martial Law if AH could not maintain civility in Germany.

In the final analysis, AH’s resolution of the coup and securing the Nation was roundly supported and admired. In one of his last acts in office, President Hindenburg immediately issued a decree confirming the legality of the NSDAPs actions.



Sources

C.J. Miller – In His Own Words
Leon Degrelle – Hitler Democrat
Jacques Benoist-Menchin - Histoire de l'armée allemande
J.B. Duroselle – Histoire Diplomatique de 1919 a nos jours
Colin Jordan – National Socialism, Vanguard of the Future
John W. Wheeler – The Nemesis Of Power
Erik Larson – In the Garden of Beasts

[Hektor]

Primer on Night of the Long Knives // Stennes Revolt

June 1934 Adolf Hitler approves the executions of 6 people with a 7th Ernst Rohm being added by Herman Goring. Through a complex series of events, the list grows to an unknown number with 85 seemingly the credibly agreed upon lower limit. This was the Night Of The Long Knives.
.....

No, that is not what is meant by "Night of the long Knives'... They didn't have such a code name. "Knight of the long Knives" actually refers to what Roehm and others were planning to do. But since main stream historiography doesn't really bother with the facts people think that it refers to the crushing of the revolt... Which was actually a real thing and not something Hitler sucked out of his thumb.

[HansHill]

Thanks for the input - I wasn't aware of the Night / Knight pun on words, that's fascinating.

NOTLKs is still used colloquially to modern audiences, although I can appreciate that codename was never actually used by the actors at the time, it still seems relevant to call it by its colloquially understood name. Also yes, i'm aware the Roehm coup plot was very real, in fact i make specific arguments to it being a very credible threat!

[Hektor]

Oh, I correct that one. That pun wasn't intended. In English the difference between Night / Knight is marginal and nuance in German it's Nacht / Ritter and hence clear.

My point is:
1. That "Night of the long Knives" wasn't the name given to the purge by Hitler or other NS-leaders.
2. That it apparently was the name of the actions those intending to go into revolt gave to their plan.

Das heißt, während die Mitglieder der inneren Sekte die eigentliche Aktion planmäßig vorbereiteten, wurden dem weit größeren Kreis der SA-Führer nur allgemeine Mitteilungen gemacht des Inhalts, daß eine zweite Revolution vor der Tür stünde, daß diese zweite Revolution kein anderes Ziel besitze als mir selbst die Handlungsfreiheit zurückzugeben. Daß daher die neue und diesmal blutige Erhebung die „Nacht der langen Messer“, wie man sie grauenvoll bezeichnete, meinem eigenen Sinn entspräche. Die Notwendigkeit des eigenen Vorgehens der SA wurde begründet mit dem Hinweis weiter auf meine Entschlußunfähigkeit, die erst dann behoben sein würde, wenn Tatsachen geschaffen wären.

Hitler assigns the name to the revolt not to the purge he ordered.

[HansHill]

Thanks for clarifying, i understand you now.

Yes that makes sense for that name to never have been used for the purge. That said however, to modern audiences, it certainly has come to be that the purge itself has been known as NOTLK. For completeness in future I'll include that, as it's certainly an interesting point how the name developed.