Extracts from an article, on the SA's original purpose to prepare Germans for military service, and its military training programs in the 1930s

THE ARCHIVE [Das Archiv], Vol. 60,
March 1939, Page 1834.
Lutze on the military training of the SA
11 March 1939
The General of the SA, Lutze, published in the "Voelkischer Beobachter" an article "The SA Military Trainees" in which he valued the designation of the pre-and post-military training to the SA as conclusion of a systematically earned development and lays down the spiritual and organizational fundamentals for the fulfillment of the increased training mission. ' '
In the article it is established as a preliminary fact that the Fuehrer never gave the SA a temporary mission but that his train of thought regarding the goal and purpose of the SA already was permanent even before he gave an extensive presentation in "Mein Kampf". Already in 1920 by the founding of the National Socialist Sport Troop (SA) the Fuehrer established the extensive mission of this SA of that time in which he declared in the protocol of its founding: * * * "The (sport troop— SA) * * * shall be the bearer of the military thought of a free people." In the same sense the Fuehrer said in his book
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"Mein Kampf": Give the German nation six million perfectly trained bodies in sport, all fanatically inspired with the love for the Fatherland and trained to the highest offensive spirit and a National Socialist State will, if necessary, have created an Army out of them in less than two years."
In this article it is said:
"The prerequisite for the practical realization of this mission already prescribed for the SA at that time was the fight for the power in the State. This was fought through until victory upon the basic elements of old soldierly virtues and was carried out by the National Socialist ideology. Out of this molding the new type of political soldier originated." In such manner the SA became the best selection of German fighters from which the Party received its future Fuehrers.
"However the men never forgot the mission of the Fuehrer 'to require the military training of the German man and to reconstruct the military spirit in the German people.' The extent and degree of activity of this ideological battle of decision primarily did not leave the systematical and extensive activity closed in the field of military thinking. The Storm Troop (SA) celebrated its first great victory in part relative to their mission by its victorious march through the 'Brandenburger Tor.' Thereby the primary battle was won and the way was free for a far-reaching and obligated work in the sense of the original mission.
Because of the victory of the movement and the new aggressive type of political soldier which was born in the SA through it, the military groups which still existed at that time lost their significance. The military groups therefore shared the fate of the soldier groups which stood apart from them and which were established still later. These soldier groups could have been active within their group life in a national sense but which however could not be recognized with respect to their personal leadership and training according to National Socialist fundamentals neither in aptitude or in qualification. Therefore it was natural that the best and most active forces streamed out of all these groups to the- SA in order to strengthen the political fighting force created by the Fuehrer. Thereby the SA enveloped all the fighting forces of the young Reich and now could proceed with the mission of political training and physical betterment originally designated by the Fuehrer.
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This goal setting also served for the decrees of the Fuehrer to the SA of 1935 regarding the renewing of, in 1936 regarding the evaluation of, in 1937 regarding the yearly repetitive exer-
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cises of, the SA sport badge. Parallel to this decree of the Fuehrer for the physical betterment and military training the organizational and development missions within the SA were met. Out of the conception that the preservation and intensification of the military power of our people must especially be requested by military and physical exercises, the training was especially carried out systematically in these fields. In 25 schools of the troop and in 3 Reichsfuehrer schools of the SA yearly 22,000 to 25,000 officers and non-coms were trained since 1934 in special educational courses until they possessed the education and examination certificates. In clearly outlined training directives the training goals which had to be achieved yearly were given and at the same time the yearly Reich competitive contests were established. Hand in hand the training of the Fuehrer Corps and corresponding organizational measures and the training at the front proceeded on the broadest basis.
In the course of this development also special missions for military betterment (program) were placed on the SA. The Fuehrer gave the SA the cavalry and motor training and called SA ober-gruppenfuehrer Litzmann as Reich Inspector with the mission to secure the cavalry recruits and requirements for the German Wehrmacht through the SA. In close cooperation with parts of the Wehrmacht special certificates were created for the communication, engineer and medical units which, like the cavalry certificate of the SA, are valued as* statement of preference for employment in said units. At the same time the basis for SA Naval units was essentially enlarged and an SA group for sea duty was constructed. The SA Navy school in Duesternbrook and the SA sail boat (school) 'Duhnen', form a basis for an extensive seaman and physical military training for officers and non-coms of the Naval SA.
Aside from the accomplished work in these special fields the high point of all goal striving lay upon the numbered million of the rest of the SA. In the summer of 1936 the requirements for the winning of the SA sport badge were renewed and raised. The SA sport badge main office was closely unified and moved to Munich. Next to the companies of the SA were the sport badge associations (SAG) in which all the militaristic nationals entered who were prepared to voluntarily answer the call of the SA for the preservation of military proficiency. Up until now around
800,000 nationals outside of the SA could successfully undergo the physical betterment as well as the political military training of the SA on the basis of the SA sport badge. '
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This quietly and consciously performed within the SA as well as a constant companionship cooperation with the Wehrmacht has demonstrated a development far exceeding the framework of the SA during the course of the last four years and found its evaluation and recognition in the decree of the Fuehrer of 19 January 1939.
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As pronounced proof herefore it may be shown that alone, 13, 400 officers and around 30,000 non-coms in the Reserve Corps of the Wehrmacht from its (the SA) own ranks stand at the disposal of the SA and can be employed at any time for the direction of SA military forces.