Victims of the Night of the Long Knives
Encyclopedia
The Night of the Long Knives
was a purge
in which
the Nazi regime executed at least 85 people for political reasons. This took place in Germany
between June 30 and July 2, 1934. Most of those killed were members of the Storm Division
(SA) (German: Sturmabteilung), a Nazi paramilitary
organization.
claimed in his speech in the Reichstag
on July 13 that 61 persons had been shot during "the action", 13 had died resisting arrest and three committed suicide. This understates the number killed. The British historian Richard J. Evans
, whose books on the subject have been called "the definitive study for at least a generation," said that at least 85 people were killed, and more than 1,000 were arrested. The noted historian Ian Kershaw
, author of a two-volume biography on Hitler, also cites the number of deaths at 85. Kershaw also notes that "some estimates...put the total number killed at between 150 and 200." The journalist and historian William L. Shirer
writes in his Rise and Fall of the Third Reich, that "The White Book of the Purge, published by émigrés in Paris claims 401 deaths, but lists only 116 of them. At the 1957 trial in Munich the figure 'more than 1,000' was used." Both of those figures are much higher than the ones most historians of the period rely on, and that Shirer himself was not necessarily citing the figures as accurate, but was simply relaying them in his book. Finally, many—but not all—of the victims had some role in bringing Hitler to power.
The list of victims was retrieved from the German Wikipedia unless otherwise stated.
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...
was a purge
Purge
In history, religion, and political science, a purge is the removal of people who are considered undesirable by those in power from a government, from another organization, or from society as a whole. Purges can be peaceful or violent; many will end with the imprisonment or exile of those purged,...
in which
the Nazi regime executed at least 85 people for political reasons. This took place in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
between June 30 and July 2, 1934. Most of those killed were members of the Storm Division
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) (German: Sturmabteilung), a Nazi 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....
organization.
Debate over number of victims
The precise number of victims of the Night of the Long Knives is disputed and will probably never be known with certainty. Adolf HitlerAdolf Hitler
Adolf 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...
claimed in his speech in the Reichstag
Reichstag (Weimar Republic)
The Reichstag was the parliament of Weimar Republic .German constitution commentators consider only the Reichstag and now the Bundestag the German parliament. Another organ deals with legislation too: in 1867-1918 the Bundesrat, in 1919–1933 the Reichsrat and from 1949 on the Bundesrat...
on July 13 that 61 persons had been shot during "the action", 13 had died resisting arrest and three committed suicide. This understates the number killed. The British historian Richard J. Evans
Richard J. Evans
Richard John Evans is a British academic and historian, prominently known for his history of Germany.-Life:Evans was born in London, of Welsh parentage, and is now Regius Professor of Modern History at the University of Cambridge and President of Wolfson College...
, whose books on the subject have been called "the definitive study for at least a generation," said that at least 85 people were killed, and more than 1,000 were arrested. The noted historian Ian Kershaw
Ian Kershaw
Sir Ian Kershaw is a British historian of 20th-century Germany whose work has chiefly focused on the period of the Third Reich...
, author of a two-volume biography on Hitler, also cites the number of deaths at 85. Kershaw also notes that "some estimates...put the total number killed at between 150 and 200." The journalist and historian William L. Shirer
William L. Shirer
William Lawrence Shirer was an American journalist, war correspondent, and historian, who wrote The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich, a history of Nazi Germany read and cited in scholarly works for more than 50 years...
writes in his Rise and Fall of the Third Reich, that "The White Book of the Purge, published by émigrés in Paris claims 401 deaths, but lists only 116 of them. At the 1957 trial in Munich the figure 'more than 1,000' was used." Both of those figures are much higher than the ones most historians of the period rely on, and that Shirer himself was not necessarily citing the figures as accurate, but was simply relaying them in his book. Finally, many—but not all—of the victims had some role in bringing Hitler to power.
Partial list of victims
- Herbert von BoseHerbert von BoseHerbert von Bose was head of the press division of the Vice Chancellery in Germany under Vice Chancellor Franz von Papen.- Imperial Germany and Weimar Republic :...
, associate of Franz von PapenFranz von PapenLieutenant-Colonel Franz Joseph Hermann Michael Maria von Papen zu Köningen was a German nobleman, Roman Catholic monarchist politician, General Staff officer, and diplomat, who served as Chancellor of Germany in 1932 and as Vice-Chancellor under Adolf Hitler in 1933–1934... - Ferdinand von BredowFerdinand von BredowFerdinand von Bredow was a German Generalmajor and former head of the Abwehr in the Reich Defence Ministry and deputy defence minister in Kurt von Schleicher's cabinet .Bredow was, along with Schleicher, among Adolf Hitler's bitterest...
, close associate of Kurt von SchleicherKurt von SchleicherKurt von Schleicher was a German general and the last Chancellor of Germany during the era of the Weimar Republic. Seventeen months after his resignation, he was assassinated by order of his successor, Adolf Hitler, in the Night of the Long Knives.... - Georg von Detten, member of the Reichstag, department chief of the highest SA-leadership
- Karl ErnstKarl ErnstKarl Ernst was an SA Gruppenführer who, in early 1933, was the SA leader in Berlin. Before joining the NSDAP he had been a hotel bell-boy and a bouncer at a gay nightclub....
, member of the Reichstag, leader of the SA-lower group East - Fritz GerlichFritz GerlichCarl Albert Fritz Gerlich was a German journalist and historian, and one of the main journalistic resisters to Adolf Hitler.-Early life:...
, publicist, Catholic ActionCatholic ActionCatholic Action was the name of many groups of lay Catholics who were attempting to encourage a Catholic influence on society.They were especially active in the nineteenth century in historically Catholic countries that fell under anti-clerical regimes such as Spain, Italy, Bavaria, France, and... - Alexander Glaser, lawyer
- Hans Hayn, member of the Reichstag, SA-group leaderGruppenführerGruppenführer was an early paramilitary rank of the Nazi Party, first created in 1925 as a senior rank of the SA.-SS rank:...
of Sachsen - Edmund HeinesEdmund HeinesEdmund Heines was a Nazi Party leader and Ernst Röhm's deputy in the SA.-Life:Heines served in World War I as a volunteer, and was discharged in 1918 as a lieutenant. In 1925, he joined the Nazi Party and the SA . In 1929, he was convicted of murder, but soon received an amnesty...
, SA-senior group leaderObergruppenführerObergruppenführer was a Nazi Party paramilitary rank that was first created in 1932 as a rank of the SA and until 1942 it was the highest SS rank inferior only to Reichsführer-SS...
in Breslau - Peter von HeydebreckPeter von HeydebreckHans-Adam Otto von Heydebreck, called Peter von Heydebreck was a German Freikorps- and SA leader, member of the Reichstag and a national socialist....
, member of the Reichstag, SA-group leaderGruppenführerGruppenführer was an early paramilitary rank of the Nazi Party, first created in 1925 as a senior rank of the SA.-SS rank:... - Anton von Hohberg und BuchwaldAnton von Hohberg und BuchwaldAnton Freiherr von Hohberg und Buchwald was a German Reichswehr- and SS - Officer.-Life:...
, SS Obergruppenführer, the only SS victim, killed on the orders of Obergruppenführer von dem Bach Zelewski - Edgar Julius JungEdgar Julius JungEdgar Julius Jung was a German lawyer born in Ludwigshafen, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. He was a leader of the Conservative Revolutionary movement in Germany, which stood not only in opposition to the Weimar Republic, whose parliamentarian system he considered decadent and foreign-imposed,...
, lawyer, author of the "Marburg speechMarburg speechThe Marburg speech was an address given by German vice chancellor Franz von Papen at the University of Marburg on June 17, 1934. It is said to be the last speech made publicly, and on a high level, in Germany against Nazism....
" of Franz von PapenFranz von PapenLieutenant-Colonel Franz Joseph Hermann Michael Maria von Papen zu Köningen was a German nobleman, Roman Catholic monarchist politician, General Staff officer, and diplomat, who served as Chancellor of Germany in 1932 and as Vice-Chancellor under Adolf Hitler in 1933–1934... - Gustav Ritter von KahrGustav Ritter von KahrGustav Ritter von Kahr was a German right-wing conservative politician, active in the state of Bavaria...
, former prime minister of BavariaBavariaBavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...
, Member of Triumvirate who ruled Bavaria during the Beer Hall PutschBeer Hall PutschThe Beer Hall Putsch was a failed attempt at revolution that occurred between the evening of 8 November and the early afternoon of 9 November 1923, when Nazi Party leader Adolf Hitler, Generalquartiermeister Erich Ludendorff, and other heads of the Kampfbund unsuccessfully tried to seize power... - Dr. Kuno Kamphausen, architect, member of the Zentrum political party
- Eugen von Kessel
- Erich KlausenerErich KlausenerErich Klausener was a German Catholic politician who was murdered in the Night of the Long Knives as the Nazis purged their opponents.- Biography :...
, leader of the police department in the PrussiaPrussiaPrussia was a German kingdom and historic state originating out of the Duchy of Prussia and the Margraviate of Brandenburg. For centuries, the House of Hohenzollern ruled Prussia, successfully expanding its size by way of an unusually well-organized and effective army. Prussia shaped the history...
n ministry of internal affairs, member of Catholic Action - Hans-Karl Koch, member of the Reichstag, SA-generalBrigadeführerSS-Brigadeführer was an SS rank that was used in Nazi Germany between the years of 1932 and 1945. Brigadeführer was also an SA rank....
in the group of WestmarkWestmarkWestmark may refer to:* Westmark , a fantasy novel written by Lloyd Alexander* Reichsgau Westmark, a planned Reichsgau of Nazi Germany, that included the former Territory of the Saar Basin, the Bavarian Palatinate and after 1940 the French département of Moselle in Lorraine * The Westmark School, a... - Fritz von Krausser, member of the Reichstag, chief the leading office of the OSAF
- Adalbert Probst, leader of the Sport Federation of the Reich (German:Deutsche Jugendkraft-Sportverbands)
- Hans Ramshorn, member of the Reichstag, SA-generalBrigadeführerSS-Brigadeführer was an SS rank that was used in Nazi Germany between the years of 1932 and 1945. Brigadeführer was also an SA rank....
in Oberschlesien and chief of police of Gleiwitz - 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...
, SA-chief of staff - Paul Röhrbein, SA-captain, leader of the first SA of Berlin
- Alfons Sack, lawyer
- Elisabeth von Schleicher, wife of Kurt von SchleicherKurt von SchleicherKurt von Schleicher was a German general and the last Chancellor of Germany during the era of the Weimar Republic. Seventeen months after his resignation, he was assassinated by order of his successor, Adolf Hitler, in the Night of the Long Knives....
- Kurt von SchleicherKurt von SchleicherKurt von Schleicher was a German general and the last Chancellor of Germany during the era of the Weimar Republic. Seventeen months after his resignation, he was assassinated by order of his successor, Adolf Hitler, in the Night of the Long Knives....
, former Chancellor of Germany - Willi SchmidWilli SchmidWilhelm Eduard Schmid , better known as Willi Schmid, was a German music critic, and an accidental victim of the Night of the Long Knives in a case of mistaken identity....
, the music critic of the Muenchener Neuste Nachrichten, a Munich newspaper (killed in a case of mistaken identity) - Ludwig Schmitt, SA-group leaderGruppenführerGruppenführer was an early paramilitary rank of the Nazi Party, first created in 1925 as a senior rank of the SA.-SS rank:...
in Hochland, chief press officer of the ministry of internal affairs of Bavaria - August Schneidhuber, member of the Reichstag, chief of police of MunichMunichMunich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
- Johann Konrad Schragmüller, member of the Reichstag, chief of police of MagdeburgMagdeburgMagdeburg , is the largest city and the capital city of the Bundesland of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Magdeburg is situated on the Elbe River and was one of the most important medieval cities of Europe....
- Emil SembachEmil SembachEmil Sembach was an SS-Oberführer attached to the SS headquarters of Silesia. In 1934, after being caught by Reinhard Heydrich's Sicherheitsdienst , for embezzlement and also for having a homosexual relationship with Kurt Wittje, he was expelled from the party and the SS...
, member of the Reichstag, ex-SS-generalOberführerOberführer was an early paramilitary rank of the Nazi Party dating back to 1921. Translated as “Senior Leader”, an Oberführer was typically a Nazi Party member in charge of a group of paramilitary units in a particular geographical region... - Father Bernhard Stempfle, defrocked priest, former co-prisoner in Landsberg, Bavaria, and by few sources considered to have been one of the editors of Mein KampfMein KampfMein Kampf is a book written by Nazi leader Adolf Hitler. It combines elements of autobiography with an exposition of Hitler's political ideology. Volume 1 of Mein Kampf was published in 1925 and Volume 2 in 1926...
- Gregor StrasserGregor StrasserGregor Strasser was a politician of the National Socialist German Workers Party...
, former high-ranking Nazi party member, father of Hitler’s godchildren - Gerd Voß, lawyer
- Ernestine Zoref, Housewife and mistress to SA supporter Baron Paul Edmund von Hahn
The list of victims was retrieved from the German Wikipedia unless otherwise stated.