Exactly 90 years ago today the largest assembly of SA Stormtroopers ever to be mustered occurred in Dortmund Germany at the SA Westfalen Treffen (SA Westphalia meeting). By the end of the summer of 1933, the Sturmabteilung had become the largest paramilitary branch of the NSDAP, consisting of close to 3 million men. During the short period of time since Hitler had become Chancellor in late January, the SA had assumed control of the Stahlhelm (‘Steel Helmet’) and the Kyffhauserbund (another war veterans’ association), and absorbed just about every suitable citizen from policemen to public servants. For two days from July 8-9 Reichskanzler Adolf Hitler would address the SA at the Dortmund rally, known as the “Aufmarsch der SA-Gruppe Westfalen” (Deployment of the SA Group Westphalia).

The origins of the SA go back to the very first weeks of the NSDAP’s founding, when party members were given free beer in exchange for providing security at meetings and rallies. By September of 1921 Hitler had fashioned these men into his own private army, and created the name Sturmabteilung (Stormtroops’). He also ordered them to be outfitted in military-style uniforms, and after the party acquired a bulk shipment of cheap army surplus brown shirts, these became their distinctive uniform and namesake.

On 1 March 1943 the Dortmund Stadttheater that was central to the 1933 SA Rally was hit by allied bombs and partially destroyed. Performances continued for a short time in the foyer, then moved to locations such as the Café Corso, the Olympia-Theater, and the Casino, which had been named the “New Theater”, but each of these alternative locations was also destroyed in subsequent bombing raids. The theater was closed down like all other theaters in Germany on 1 September 1944 by order of the Reich Ministry of Propaganda. On 6 October 1944, what remained of the original Dortmund Stadttheater was completely destroyed in another allied bomb attack.