Night of the Long Knives

Purge of the German Nazi party to root out possible opposition to Adolf Hitler. On the night of 29-30 June 1934 (and the following two days) the SS units under Heinrich Himmler were used by Hitler to exterminate the Nazi private army Sturm-Abteilung (SA or the Brownshirts) under Captain Ernst Roehm. Others were also executed for alleged conspiracy against Hitler (including Kurt von Schleicher). The Nazi purge enabled Hitler to gain the acceptance of the German officer corps and, when President Hindenburg died five weeks later, to become head of state.