The original storm troopers had nothing to do with atrocities. They were the specially trained infantry that almost won the war for the Germans in the first half of 1918. They were the German secret weapon to break the stalemate of trench warfare, as tanks were for the Allies.
Too bad the term got spoiled by the Nazis.
...and George Lucas
“They were the specially trained infantry that almost won the war for the Germans in the first half of 1918. They were the German secret weapon to break the stalemate of trench warfare, as tanks were for the Allies.”
That was after the ones from a long time ago, in a galaxy far away. The storm troopers of 1918 were a desperate play for field position before the weight of US intervention could be fully felt; in a country starving due to the blockade, dealing with an ammunition strike, the stormtroopers were given the best food and ammo to maintain an offensive that had little hope of success. As in the battle of the Bulge a quarter century later, there were simply not enough men or supplies, and the Germans feared moving the men from the Eastern Front (where Russia had surrendered a year earlier) because they had been radicalized by communists - at the time of the armistice there were still 1 million German troops in Russia.
The spring offensive was to bargain for a better truce, and it failed on all counts. You are right that its a shame the Nazis corrupted the term; Darth Vader redeemed it a bit.
“...The original storm troopers...”
They were called Stosstruppen.
They were armed with the early MP18 submachine guns, Lugers with 32-round snailtrommeln (Drum magazines), C96 Schnellfuer Broomhandle Mauser pistols, sharpened shovels, etc, and specialized in raiding the Brit and French trench lines, exploiting weak spots in the lines, and causing general havoc and chaos once they broke through. They were “Special Ops” guys. Moved fast, hit hard, and raised hell.
Good catch, Sherman. Thanks for bringing that up.