A German WWII SA Dagger and scabbard by Ed. Wusthof, Solingen, the blade inscribed 'Alles für Deutchsland', serial 18004, blade length 22.5cm, overall length 35cm Formed in 1921, the Sturmabteilung (SA) or ''Brown Shirts'', functioned as the original paramilitary wing of the Nazi Party (NSDAP). Comprised mostly out of WWI veterans and Freikorps (German volunteer military or paramilitary units), the SA's main function was to provide protection at Nazi rallies and assemblies. The SA played a critical role in Hitler's rise to power. The organization was co-founded by Adolf Hitler and Ernst Rohm, and was later put under Rohm's leadership. In 1934, Hitler's ordered the ''Blood purge'' / the disempowering of the SA which later became known as the ''Night of the Long Knives''. Like most NSDAP branches, the SA wore paramilitary dress and dagger.