1939-01-10 — Page 2

Page

THE CHINA MAIL, JANUARY 10, 1989,

THE NIGHT OF THE

LONG KNIVES

Conservative,

"ITLER'S power rested on the Like every Dictator he grew "re-

Street.

spectable," despising anyway the It is the most fearful (because origins he constantly boasted of. the least responsible) of all Em- And fearing them! Hitler had not pires. The Roman brothers Grac- come to power as a chi, Rienzi, our own Wat Tyler, but as a revolutionary radical. The France's Danton and Boulanger, "Militia of the Streets" Russia's Father Gapon or again revolutionary and radical. our A. J. Cook proved the fick- chafed, waiting for permission to which leness of the mob towards its lea- "clean up the streets," by

the Jews they meant massacre der.

and loot the capitalists. They were thrown only a few Jews.

Hitler resolved to sell out-before the mob-empire crucified him.

**

* *

Storm Troop Chief-of-Staff Ernst Rohm, squat, pock-marked, battle- scarred, brilliant "soldier with civi- lian courage," had really only one

idea in his bullet-head.

It was as simple-and disastrous -a's that which filled the brain of the first Frederick of Prussia. go on adding soldiers.

To

By the spring of 1934 Rohm had brought the strength of the Storm Troops to close upon 3,000,000 men. Storm Troops Brown Outside, Red Inside

cannon

their

they

Rohm considered men as fodder. He did not ask for pedigree, but simply, "Will fight?" After the Reichstag Fire and the proscription of the Com- munist Red Front and the Socialist Reichsbanner the Left fighters pour- ed into the Brownshirt army. So that it was said, "The Storm Troops re like a good beefsteak, brown outside, red inside.”

In this Rohm pursued his old idea with the tenacity of a man who loves. one woman. He conceived the Storm Troops as the auxiliary of the Reich. swehr in the coming war of revenge against the French. The Reich- swehr continued to reject the idea of swallowing this vast traditionless half-armed mass. Rohm continued

remained They

In June 1933 three months after he had been confirmed in power as "the Chancellor Hitler announced National Revolution is at an end." The National-Socialist Storm Troops continued to cherish the idea of the Second and Socialist Revolution.

Young Karl Ernst, who believed the guard had mutinlod, ealed, "Hell Hitler!" as the death volley broke.

The impending death of Hinden to swell his numbers until one day burg loomed up. Who would succed he could demand that his "Militia the veteran President? of the Streets" should swallow the

*

*

*

Reichswehr Hitler, who had only Hitler, of course, had decided to wanted the Brownshirts to be a succeed. But for this post, which political army until he could take carried the supreme command, he

the Reich control of the real army of the needed the loyalty of Reichswehr, began to take fright. swehr.

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ey shot Von Schleicher down at breakfast. They shot his

reserve

The Reichswehr pointedly refused to recognise the Storm Troops. As rearmament increased and the need for more soldiers grew, the Reich- swehr were glad to draw upon the more. or less disciplined formed by the Storm Troops. But they resolutely refused to incorpor-. ate the Brownshirts in units. Every man must join the Reichswehr as an individual soldier and submit to all the rigours of traditional Prus- sian discipline.

By the beginning of June Hitler was speaking of "this fifthy Brown shirt clique. Six months before he had written to "dear Ernst Rohm" to thank him for "imperishable ser- vices" and to describe him gratefully as "my friend and fellow fighter." By the end of June he would be des- "Their con- cribing him as vile. duct was such that it was impos- sible to invite them to any house or to cross the threshold of the chief of staff," Rohm was a notorious homo-sexual, but Hitler had known that for ten years.

others Meantime

unconsciously were creating the conditions Rohm's end. Von Papen, the Na- tionalist Vice-chancellor whom Hit- ler had outwitted busily schemed, burrowing in the old conservative warrens against the regime.

Knives And Ropes- Ditties Of Death

wife down too.

And when the hour of vängeance comes

We'll be there for any slaughter. Finally impossible was the irre- verent ditty:

Hoist high the Hohenzollerns the lamp-post!

Let the dogs dangle till they fall.

On

down

Hang every black swine in the synagogue.

Hurl the hand-grenades into the

kirk!

At Marburg on June 17 Herr von the Papen lectured the Nazis on shortcomings of their dictatorship. Frantically Goebbels shrieked back, "Ridiculous dwarfs! Wretched out- siders!

The nation has not forgot- tem the days when these fine gentle- men ruled from their easy chairs!” But Hindenburg sent Von Papen a telegram of congratulation,

ex-

Toiling ceaselessly also .was Reichswehr General Kurt von Schlei- cher who had also been dished by Hitler.

* * * Rohm went off on furlough. He of hoped to relieve his liver of the drunkenness afflictions which his imposed upon it.

Before departing, in a general or- der to the Storm Troops he scoffed at talk of disbanding them. Enemies who chattered thus would receive "a fitting answer at such time and in such form as is necessary. The The anti-Jewish pogrom offended Storm-battalions are, and remain, Rohm then the gentry of the Right... They German's destiny!" found disgusting the Storm Troops' gave himself up to a few days of de- at Heidelberg before chorus.

spurt bauchery "Let Jewish blood under the knife."

For June 30 he A great deal taking his cure.

called a conference of · Brownshirt more unsatisfactory was:

Whet the long knives on the chiefs, to which he invited Hitler.

At 2 a.m. Hitler, who had been pavement.

Plunge the

Parson's staying in his favourite hotel at Bad

(Continued on Page 21) body.

knives in

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Squat, pack-marked Rohm, seen here with Hitler, would not use the revolver left for him. Ho said: "If Adolf wants to shoot me he must do it himachi."