This photograph depicts members of the Sturmabteilung (SA) during a rally in Braunschweig around 1923. The SA was a paramilitary organization that served as the Nazi party’s security force during events and rallies and engaged in violent street fights with its political opponents. It played a crucial role in the early years of the Nazi Party by providing both a visible and intimidating presence at political rallies and during election campaigns. The SA members in this photo are seen giving the Hitler salute and carrying a skull-and-bones flag, which was most likely an old Freikorps banner. Many members of the SA were former members of Freikorps units, several of whom had used the skull-and-bones as their symbol. In November 1923, the SA, under its leader Hermann Göring, had participated in the Hitler-Ludendorff putsch and was subsequently banned along with the NSDAP. This photo taken by press photographer Georg Pahl was most likely used to illustrate a newspaper article on the ban.