SA-Wehrmannschaft combat uniform trousers

SA-Wehrmannschaft [Sturmabteilung] brown/green combat uniform trousers for this military training defense unit formed in 1939. The members were usually older men not fit for regular military service, but still required to undergo military training and participate in civil defense. By the late 1930s, the SA was not an independent political force, but it was a powerful organizing tool for the Nazi Party. The SA was a paramilitary organization founded by Hitler in 1920, and led by Ernst Rohm. The Stormtroopers were known for their brutality and violence and were potent instruments of street terror during Hitler's rise to power. By the early 1930s, SA membership reached three million, far outnumbering the German Army. After Hitler became Chancellor in 1933, the SA's demands for political power threatened Hitler's plans for German expansion and he turned against them. Between June 30 and July 2, 1934, the Nazi Party leadership, on Hitler's order, purged the SA leadership to end the embarrassing conduct and political intrigues.