This question has been on my mind recently after reading up on the night of the long knives between 30 June- 2 July 1934, which saw the elimination of the SA as a major power capable of stopping Hitler and either elimination ( including the head the SA Ernst Röhm, Gregor Strasser, former chancellor Kurt von Schleicher and at least 83 other SA, Political, military and at least 1 SS member,) or the sidelining and forced exile of others like the vice-chancellor Franz Von Papen.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Night_of_the_Long_Knives
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victims_of_the_Night_of_the_Long_Knives
Hitler and the Nazi press dubbed it the " Rohm Putsch" and claimed that the SA was trying to overthrow Hitler. Their is no evidence for this of course, rather it was done to appease both the army leaders who feared that their control was at risk, foreign governments who saw the SA as an embarrassment for Fascism, and to solidify Hitlers own personal control over the party.
However, it is pretty clear that if Rohm
was was ever planning a coup, his SA was in the best position. At the time, SA membership was at roughly 2.9 million, vastly outnumbering the army and other Nazi institutions like the SS. The army was also a possible threat to Hitler, hence why he was so eager to appease them in turning on his own SA.
But what was the best opportunity to overthrow Hitler following his gaining of the chancellorship in 30 January 1933 to the start of the war in 1939. Who would have led it? Could it have succeeded? And what would be the long term result of its success?