Ernst Röhm

The Making of a Young Officer, 1887-1914 * The Transforming Experience of World War I, 1914-18 * The Trauma of the German Revolution, 1918-19 * "Machine Gun King" of Bavaria, 1919-22 * Political Soldier, January-September 1923 * Putschist, September 1923-1 April 1924 * Frontbann Leader, April 1924-May 1925 * "Human, All Too Human": Private Life, 1925-8 * Lieutenant-Colonel in Bolivia, 1928-30 * Chief of Staff of the S.A., 1931-3 * The Seizure of Power, January-June 1933 * The Search for a Role: Ernst Röhm and the SA, June-December 1933 * Crisis Approaches, January-June 1934 * The Revolution Devours Its Children, 30 June-2 July 1934 * Conclusion: Röhm and the Myth of Röhm

'Eleanor Hancock does not seek to rehabilitate Röhm, but to investigate carefully the role of this central, though largely ignored, figure in the early Nazi leadership. Ernst Röhm was not a fanatical anti-Semite (in fact, his favorite opera singer was Jewish), but he was excessively loyal to his ultimate murderer, Adolf Hitler. The result was that he never acted upon requests to intervene in the persecution of Jews, or even of homosexuals like himself. Hancock's balanced assessment is unsparing in its criticism of Röhm, yet relentless in its pursuit of the motivation for his actions. She succeeds magnificently in laying to rest a number of the slurs cast at him by jealous Nazi rivals. Her prodigious hunt for surviving records has been complemented by interviews with contemporaries. She has produced a thorough and very thoughtful study of Ernst Röhm which will stand as the definitive biography for years to come.' - Geoffrey J. Giles, University of Florida
'Hancock has made a welcome and useful addition to the field.' - Mark M. Hull, The Journal of Military History

ELEANOR HANCOCK Senior Lecturer in History at the Australian Defence Force Academy at the University of New South Wales, Australia.