Stormtroopers were a specially trained German force used in WWI for trench warfare. They later became the basis for the Nazi paramilitary force, the SA. Stormtroopers were brutal, aggressive, and highly trained, and their tactics were effective but ultimately useless. Many stormtroopers became leading figures in the SA, which helped Hitler seize power in Germany. However, he later executed many SA members during the “Night of the Long Knives” in 1934.
Stormtroopers were specially trained German forces used in World War I to break holes in enemy lines. The stormtroopers later served as the basis for the Sturmabteilung, a Nazi paramilitary force also known as the SA. Stormtroopers were known to be extremely brutal, aggressive and highly trained, and many Germans idolized them, treating them as heroes and describing them as “a new kind of man”.
The development of stormtrooper forces began as early as 1915, when the Germans realized they needed a customized force to deal with trench warfare, and conceived the concept of “shock troops”, troops that would move quickly to infiltrate and destabilize the enemy, paving the way for a wave of infantry. Stormtroopers have proven quite effective in their task.
Training as a stormtrooper would be grueling and brutal. These men needed to survive in extreme environments and in situations where they might be cut off from regular troops. Therefore, a stormtrooper had to be tough, resourceful, and quick to take advantage of windows of opportunity. In return for their extensive training and dangerous jobs, stormtroopers enjoyed popular adulation in Germany.
A Stormtrooper attack has had several phases. In the first stage, German artillery would shell the enemy, hoping to weaken and destabilize them. Then, a stormtrooper crew would enter, working in small groups and moving quickly to try and fight their way into the trench. Once the trench was opened, the stormtroopers could start attacking the enemy in earnest, and a wave of infantry would follow to secure the trench.
The Stormtrooper tactics were certainly effective and devastating, if in retrospect, slightly useless. Armies fought daily for control of trenches in WW1, moving some trenches up and some back and often finding the enemy’s stuff while essentially swapping houses. Men who had trained as stormtroopers later became leading figures in the SA.
Adolf Hitler was the driving force behind the SA, which he used to propel himself to power in the 1930s. With the support of his so-called “Brown Shirts,” a reference to their uniforms, Hitler and the Nazi Party quickly seized power in Germany. Once Hitler secured power, he executed many key members of the SA during the infamous “Night of the Long Knives”, which took place in 1934. He essentially staged a coup, in an attempt to subvert SA power before it became a challenge to his regime.
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