The night of the long knives

"Night of the long knives", a term that some of you might have encountered before, either in historical articles or even songs. But what caught my attention is that the term is often linked with treachery, betrayal and massacres. So what does "night of the long knives" really mean? what are the roots of this expression? And what does it have to do with Hitler and Nazi Germany?

The term was first reported in "Historia Brittonum", a compilation of purported Britons' history, written in the 9th century by a Welsh historian named Nennuis. He used the term "night of the long knives" to denote a massacre which took place in the 5th century, when the Anglo-Saxon mercenaries deceived and slaughtered the Celtic Britons chieftains. However, it is worth noting that there are no historical evidences in any contemporary accounts supporting this treachery ever existed. And considering that "Historia Brittonum", where the incident was first mentioned, was written 4 centuries after the alleged massacre, it is more than probable that "the night of the long knives" is merely the work of Nennuis's imagination. Nevertheless, it is the term we are discussing in this article, not the credibility of the story.

According to Nennuis, Hengist, the leader of the Anglo-Saxons, invited the king Vortigern and several others Britons leaders to a meeting to make peace and why not come to perpetual friendship between both sides. The rules of the meeting were quite clear and simple: no weapons are allowed as both Brittons and Saxons would sit side by side and settle their dispute amicably. Ostensibly, Hengist's request was justified, taking into accounts the growing tensions between the two: the Germanic mercenaries claimed more lands as a repay for their services to Vortigern, while the Briton King was concerned about the new settlers' increasing dominance in the kingdom. In this regard, and for both parties, a peace agreement looked ideal to avoid the worst. Hengist, however, had other intentions.

While the Britons chieftains and their King played by the rules and came unarmed to the meeting, the Saxons went for treachery: the Britons were totally oblivious to the conspiracy weaved against them, and as soon as they were distracted with food and drinks, Hengist ordered his men to slaughter them but their king, Vortigern, who had to give up on many regions as a ransom for his life. As you might have guessed already, the weapons used that night were actually long knives which the Saxons concealed in their shoes. Those long knives are called seax (also spelled sax), and it is after which the Saxons got their name.

Let us leave this story and its credibility aside, and move on in time to June, 1934, roughly 17 months after Adolf Hitler was appointed a Chancellor of the German Reich. As the power starving man he was, Hitler had many "obstacles" in his way. And at a certain point, one of those whom he needed to eliminate was Ernest Röhm. As surprising as it is, Röhm was Hitler's old comrade and an early ally. He was also one of the founders of the Sturmabteilung (SA), the original paramilitary organization of the Nazi party. An organization which, in a later stage, Röhm would be commanding at Hitler's request.

Since its creation, the Sturmabteilung, also known as the Brownshirts, played a significant role in Adolf's rise to power; it was responsible for providing protection for the Nazis, fighting against other paramilitary units of opposing parties and disrupt their meetings as well. Of course, the SA also shared Hitler's bias against minorities such as Jews and Romani (gypsies), and intimidating them was a part of its primary purposes. However, and under Röhme's command, the "Brownshirts" became of much power and influence, way more than the "führer" would allow.

Growing in importance and numbers, the SA counted more than 3 million men by the fall of 1933. That was 30 times more than the Reichswehr (the German army between 1919 and 1935), which was limited by the treaty of Versailles to only 100.000 men. Ernest Röhme, being a high ranked ex-military himself, requested his SA troops to be Incorporated into the Wehrmacht, the new army which was being prepared to replace the Reichswehr. A request that was utterly rejected by the army generals. They even took it as an offence considering that the "Brownshirts" were merely an untrained gang of thugs and should by no means be integrated with the army. Thus, tensions grew between both sides as they engaged in a political game of pulling the rode.

Hitler, on the other side of the equation, was very concerned: already fearing and despising the organisation, Röhme's request rose the army's leaders doubts and suspicions about the nature and plans of the SA. Hitler was aware of the importance of keeping the generals on his good side. Else, antagonizing them would be a direct blow to his newly gained political power as a Chancellor. On the other hand, Adolf Hitler did not wish for 1930's scenario to repeat itself, when the SA revolted against him, asking for the recognition and funding they thought they deserved as a recompense for the unlimited support to their "Führer". Therefore, it was all decided, and Hitler settled on sacrificing the Brownshirts, including Ernest Röhme.

On the night of June 30, 1934, Hitler ordered his SS elites (Schutzstaffel, another paramilitary organization of the Nazi party) to nib treason in the bud, which meant eliminating Röhme and other SA leaders. However, those were not the only names on Hitler's list of targets. Of course, He would not let the chance slip through his hands without getting rid of old and potential enemies who had nothing to do with the SA. The allegations of plotting a coup d'etat he made against them were enough to turn Hitler into a hero in the eyes of the government, army leaders and even the public.

From June 30 to July 2, 1934, leaders of the SA, an ex-chancellor and many of Hitler's antagonists were shot and hacked by the SS elites. Officially, the authorities claimed that 85 were killed in the aftermath of the massacre. But unofficial sources estimated the death toll was between 500 and up to 1000. The night of the long knives was a crucial event in the history of Nazi Germany. However, and despite all the spilled blood, it granted Hitler the support and trust of the officials and public alike, as well as increasing his influence and popularity.