Infamous Assassinations: Profiles 1901-1948

Ernst Roehm

Who was he? Leader of the Adolf Hitler's Brownshirts – the Sturmabteilung, or SA.

When was he assassinated? July 1, 1934.

Where was he assassinated? Stadelheim Prison, Munich.

Who did it? SS General Theodor Eicke, accompanied by two other SS officers.

Why? Hitler's advisers, including Hermann Goering and Heinrich Himmler, persuaded the Fuhrer that Roehm's SA – a paramilitary group created to intimidate opponents of the Nazis – was planning a coup.

What happened? Roehm and the SA leadership were rounded up on June 30, an operation that became known as the Night of the Long Knives. More than 90 people were executed. Roehm was shot on Hitler's personal orders.

What was the consequence? With Roehm dead, the way was clear for Hitler to consolidate his grip on power.