Sturmabteilung

In Germany, as the Nazis rose to power, the Sturmabteilung (SA), also known as the Brownshirts or Stormtroopers, were their first uniformed force. While they were uniformed and had ranks, they were never a serious military force, although Ernst Roehm, their commander, saw them as a "revolutionary" alternative to the regular Army.

While the SA stayed in existence until the end of the war, Rohm and his immediate circle were purged in 1934, and the SS, once a small unit within the SA, became the primary Party force. As opposed to the SA, the SS did develop true military units as well as security forces.