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Night of the Long Knives in 1934...



Item # 568725

July 04, 1934

THE KNICKERBOCKER PRESS, Albany NY July 4, 1934 

* Night of the Long Knives 
* Adolph Hitler cleans house
 

This 16 page newspaper has a two column headline on the front page: "Von Papen Stays; Nation Seething, But Killings End" with subheads. (see)

Other news of the day. Light browning with some margin wear, otherwise good.

source: wikipedia: The Night of the Long Knives (German: Nacht der langen Messer) or "Operation Hummingbird," was a purge of Adolf Hitler's potential political rivals in the Sturmabteilung (SA).

The SA (sometimes known as the "Stormtroopers" or "Brownshirts") was the paramilitary organization of the Nazi Party that played a key role in the Nazi rise to power in the 1920s, culminating with Hitler's appointment as German chancellor in 1933. Occurring over the weekend of June 29 and June 30, 1934, the purge targeted SA leaders and members who were associated more with socialism than with nationalism, and hence were viewed as a threat to the continued support for Hitler within the Army and conservative business community that had supported Hitler's rise to power. During this event, however, the Gestapo also targeted conservative rivals and elements within and outside the regime.

In contrast to other purges, the Night of the Long Knives did not focus on suppressing the Communists or Social Democrats, the Nazis' primary foes from the left.

Official records tally the dead at 82, including almost the entire SA leadership, though some 200 alleged opponents of the Nazi regime are believed to have been killed. The name "Night of the Long Knives" is a reference to the massacre of Vortigern's men by Angle, Jute, and Saxonmercenaries in Arthurian myth.

Category: The 20th Century