On June 30, it was decided to assassinate Ernst Roehm and his supporters. Roehm, the unchallenged commander of the SA and the strongest member of the Nazi leadership save Hitler, demanded that the Nazi revolution (especially its social aspects) be sustained perpetually. Since the Nazi rise to power, his organisation had been amassing strength and attracting new members as never before. Roehm advocated a dual regime, in which he would function as a generalissimo alongside the political leader, Hitler. He intended to merge the SA with the Germany army, a prospect that terrified the leaders of the army. Accused of homosexuality, Roehm was captured in a surprise raid as he stayed in a resort hotel with several SA leaders. Escorted by a company of SS men, Hitler roused Roehm from slumber and arrested him. A handgun was slipped into Roehm's cell for use in his suicide. He refused to comply and was executed two days later. In the bloodbath of the "Night of the Long Knives," another 74 SA leaders and some 100 others were murdered. This marked the ascendance of the SS in Nazi Germany.
