Der Fuehrer - Hitler's Rise to Power (1944) - Heiden

THE BLOOD PURGE 761Hitler's old friend and shock troop leader. But Franz von Epp, generaland governor, Rohm's old superior, did not suspect anything. FromHitler's account it can be inferred that local groups such as these inMunich acted on their own initiative; had so to act. Goring received atleast a hint that he now should do what he pleased and proceed to puthis death lists into effect. As for Wagner in Munich, even before he hadreceived an order from Hitler, he summoned Schneidhuber, theObergruppenfuhrer of the S.A. and chief of police, along with hisassistant, Wilhelm Schmidt, to the Ministry of the Interior, that oldbuilding abounding in staircases and corners, situated on theOdeonsplatz; there they were suddenly surrounded by a bunch ofgunmen, among them Christian Weber and Emil Maurice; Wagnerinformed his prisoners they were under arrest. At first they thought itwas a joke, and later, a mistake. Schneidhuber had just attended avaudeville show; the question remains to what extent the whole reportabout the Munich S.A. was true at all.At four o'clock Hitler landed at the Oberwiesenfeld airdrome nearMunich. He was accompanied by Goebbels, Viktor Lutze, and OttoDietrich.Hysterical scenes followed. Hitler wept on the bosom of his oldfriend, Joseph Berchtold, and bewailed Rohm's breach of faith, as hecalled it, and the end of their fifteen years of comradeship. Then herushed upon Schneidhuber and Schmidt and tore off their epaulets.Schneidhuber cried excitedly that Hitler could shoot him if he liked, butthat he should keep his dirty fingers off his person. The flyer ErnstUdet, chief of the S.A. air force, was among those arrested; he ran up toHitler and asked him in a fierce bellow whether he was not enough of asoldier to know the meaning of discipline. How could he punish soldiersfor obeying the orders of their superiors? — and until now Rohm wasstill their superior. Udet was spared.At seven in the morning, Hitler and his party sped southward in along column of automobiles, in the direction of Wiessee. Goebbels,Lutze, Dietrich, and Buch were with him; Christian Weber, the fatbrawler and murderer in his black S.S. uniform with its sinister skulland crossbones, was there, too, as well as Emil Maurice