La noche de los cuchillos largos

by Max Gallo

By the summer of 1934 Adolf Hitler, appointed chancellor by the moribund President von Hindenburg, had amassed considerable political power, but hardline elements in his own Party that were instrumental to his rise now accused him of betraying the National Socialist agenda. A zealous Nazi and notorious homosexual, Ernst Roehm was the leader of the Party's paramilitary force, the Sturmabteilung (SA) or "Brown Shirts," which at its peak was over four million strong. He had once been Hitler's close friend but had become his most vehement critic. Hitler's response was the “Night of Long Knives,” the term coined by him to describe the well-planned orgy of arrest, assassination, and execution that he personally led against his former comrades during the weekend of June 29, 1934. Step by step, our by hour, Max Gallo reconstructs the events that caused Himmler, Heydrich, Göring, and the Germany Army itself to convince Hitler to eliminate their rivals. Here in vivid detail is the epic clash between the brutal fanaticism of Roehm's SA and the cold-blooded cynicism of the SS, and how Hitler used it to augment his power and cement his position.

Genres: History, Germany, Nonfiction, War, World War II, Nazi Party

First published January 1, 1970

About the author

Max Gallo was a French writer, historian and politician.

The son of Italian immigrants, Max Gallo's early career was in journalism. At the time he was a Communist (until 1956). In 1974, he joined the Socialist Party. On April 26, 2007, the French Academy recorded his candidacy for its Seat 24, formerly held by the late Jean-François Revel. He was elected to the French Academy on 31 May 2007.

Reviews

[Stephen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an amazing book. Broken down by the hour or even half-hour what happened with enough background to make everyone understand without having too much background to make it boring. I recommend this book to anyone with even the slightest interest in history or World War II. Does not disappoint.

[Lewis Weinstein · Rating 4 out of 5]

A detailed presentation of the background, planning and execution of the murder of hundreds of Hitler's enemies on June 30, 1934. After this, there were no enemies left.

[Liam Ostermann · Rating 3 out of 5]

I can not fault the research, and I would not dare question Mr. Gallo's accuracy, this is a book which I was immediately attracted to when I came across it, quite by chance, on GoodReads, but it is a book which I found unreadable and has convinced that I will never read any of Mr. Gallo's books.

My reasons for this sweeping statement is that, though I do not question anything in this, or any of Mr. Gallo's other books, I can not accept his 'novelization' technique as a way of presenting historical events. I found it crass, vulgar and, when dealing with episodes and characters like those presented in this book distasteful and lacking in dignity. That does not mean you can not write a novel about the Third Reich or any of the major participants of those years - there have been many fine novels written which are not only great books but illuminate and expand our understanding. But history is history and fiction is fiction - they don't mix as far as I am concerned.

Clearly Mr. Gallo's way of presenting history has secured a loyal following - I can't say that it is the wrong way to write history - but it is a way of writing history that I find deeply problematic and unsatisfactory.

[Jimmy Head · Rating 4 out of 5]

French reporting from academic and intelligence sources. The SA homoerotic angle is scary, mostly whitewashed from any modern documentary about the period.

[Marco · Rating 3 out of 5]

Une histoire de pouvoir.
La chronique la plus précise que j'ai trouvé sur la nuit des longs couteaux.
L'auteur réussit très bien à expliquer non seulement la purge elle même, mais surtout les mécanismes et les conflits d'intérêt la rendant possible.
2 remarques seulement :
- d'une, le choix de mêler chronique historique et narration laisse le lecteur suspendu dans une narration des événements qui se perd dans la rethorique. Le livre n'est pas une chronique froid et rationnelle, ni thématique, mais n'est pas encore un roman, car les personnages sont toujours vus de loin.
- les choix narratifs complexifient l'exposé, entre les fait de la purge et l'explication du background. C'est un schéma de roman, qui toutefois ne correspond pas au style de la narration.

Bref, pour ma part, je ne suis pas très fan de ce style hybrid que j'ai récemment trouvé aussi dans "M" de Scurati, pour narrer Mussolini.
C'est comme si l'auteur voulait écrire un roman mais dans trop oser toucher à l'histoire et à ses personnages.
C'est compréhensible, mais dans ce cas, autant écrire un livre d'histoire.
Cela dit, une lecture vraiment riche et éducative

[Philip Kuhn · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's a good blow-by-blow account of the night. Good summary of its implications and how it effected the military going forward. I'd give it another star but it felt like something was lacking. Like maybe more about how President Hindenburg felt about the situation, as well as the Army leadership at the time. Of course I learned a few things--I didn't know that Josef Goebbels was that heavily involved in the matter. I thought he was more of a bystander. It seems that Goebbels, Goering and Himmler were all behind it. And Heydrich especially. (the author could have included more about the pact that Himmler and Goering seemed to agree upon with each other at the time; Himmler would help Goering get rid of Roehm and then the two would stay out of each other's way.)

PHIL KUHN

[Signor Amleto · Rating 4 out of 5]

Più di trecento pagine per raccontare alcune ore di una notte ? Si è possibile se l'autore analizza i fatti in una forma di racconto narrativo. Poche ore che fecero la storia analizzate analiticamente raccomando i mesi prima, i giorni prima e dedicando interi capitoli all'analisi delle ore che precedono la lunga notte. Tutto così completo che nessuno sarebbe in grado farlo. Ovviamente si analizzano anche le cause di cos'è accaduto quella notte. Ottimo libro completo ed unico.

[JEAN-PHILIPPE PEROL · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un des premiers Max Gallo, mais dans lequel se melent déjà les talents du romancier et la rigueur de l'historien. Un récit et une analyse impecccables de ces jours décisifs durant lesquels l'Allemagne bascula completement dans le nazisme.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

Vivid and engrossing. Read for history class while working on masters' degree.