Ernst Röhm

Born Nov. 28, 1887, in Munich; died there June 30, 1934. One of the leaders of fascist Germany.

In 1919, while a Reichswehr officer in Munich, Röhm began collaborating with Hitler, whom he used as a secret informer. Röhm joined the National Socialist Party in the early 1920’s and directed the military training of the Storm Troops. He participated in the fascist putsch of 1923. Röhm was made chief of staff of the Storm Troops in 1931. After the establishment of the fascist dictatorship in 1933, he was appointed reichsminister. However, Röhm and his confederates tried to extend their power over the generals and turn the Storm Troops into the backbone of the newly created mass army. With Hitler’s sanction, Röhm was shot along with a group of other Storm Troop leaders during the purge known as the night of the long knives.