The author uses the 178 men who ranked as generals in the Sturm Abteilung, the infamous “Brown Shirts,” to tell not only how this violent paramilitary organization was not only essential to Hitler’s rise to power, but also how he so unceremoniously and effectively thrust it aside once he attained supremacy. The work is full of useful looks at some of the lesser-known Nazi leaders, and provides some valuable insights into some obscurer corners of the history of the Nazi movement.