In the early days of the Nazi Party (NSDAP), the leadership realized that a bodyguard unit composed of reliable men was needed. Ernst Röhm formed a guard formation from the "19.Granatwerfer-Kompanie"; from this formation the "Sturmabteilung" (SA) soon evolved. Adolf Hitler in early 1923, ordered the formation of a small separate bodyguard dedicated to his service rather than "a suspect mass", such as the SA. Originally the unit was composed of only eight men, commanded by Julius Schreck and Joseph Berchtold. It was designated the "Stabswache" (staff guard). The "Stabswache" were issued unique badges, but at this point was still under SA control. Schreck resurrected the use of the "Totenkopf" ("death's head") as the unit's insignia, a symbol various elite forces had used in the past, including specialized assault troops of Imperial Germany in World War I who used "Hutier" infiltration tactics.