Operation Hummingbird

E53852

Operation Hummingbird was the codename for the 1934 purge in Nazi Germany, commonly known as the Night of the Long Knives, during which Adolf Hitler eliminated political rivals and consolidated his power.

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Statements (48)

Predicate Object
instanceOf codename
historical event
political purge
aim eliminate potential rivals to Hitler
remove SA as independent power center
secure support of German Army
country Nazi Germany
deathTollEstimate at least 85 killed
possibly several hundred killed
endDate 1934-07-02
followedBy further erosion of rule of law in Germany
increased SS dominance in Nazi Germany
hasAlias Night of the Long Knives
hasCause Hitler's fear of SA power
desire to reassure conservative elites
pressure from German Army leadership
historicalSignificance demonstrated Hitler's willingness to use lethal violence against allies
marked turning point in Nazi dictatorship
leader Adolf Hitler
legalJustification retroactive law passed by Nazi regime
legalOutcome killings declared legal by German government
location Germany
method arbitrary arrests
extrajudicial killings
organizedBy Gestapo
Nazi Party
Schutzstaffel (SS)
surface form: Schutzstaffel
partOf Gleichschaltung
surface form: Nazi consolidation of power
perpetrator Gestapo
Reichswehr
surface form: Reichswehr officers

Schutzstaffel (SS)
surface form: Schutzstaffel
plannedBy Adolf Hitler
politicalContext early years of the Third Reich
power struggle within Nazi Party
result consolidation of Adolf Hitler's power
elimination of internal Nazi Party opposition
increased control of Hitler over German state
strengthening of SS over SA
startDate 1934-06-30
target Ernst Röhm
Sturmabteilung
surface form: Sturmabteilung leadership

conservative opponents of Hitler
former political rivals
timePeriod 1934
victim Ernst Röhm
Gregor Strasser
Gustav von Kahr
surface form: Gustav Ritter von Kahr

Kurt von Schleicher

Referenced by (1)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Night of the Long Knives alsoKnownAs Operation Hummingbird