To the gun! Into the military men of the SA Black and white Sturmabteilung (SA) recruitment poster with a rifle over the British coastline

German recruitment poster for the Sturmabteilung (SA), a Nazi paramilitary organization responsible for protecting party meetings, voter intimidation, and physically assaulting opponents. The wreath and sword symbol at the lower right are also featured on the SA sport badge and armband which were given out for physical accomplishment. As a result of the Great Depression and the growing popularity of the Nazi Party, SA membership swelled to 400,000 by 1932, and by 1933 membership was at approximately two million. On The Night of Long Knives, June 30, 1934, Hitler and the Schutzstaffel (SS) carried out a purge, murdering dozens of SA leaders including its cofounder and commander Ernst Röhm. Afterwards, the SA ceased to play a major role in Nazi affairs.