 He took his leave from the German Army after getting involved with right-wing associations in 1923.When it became necessary for the Nazi Party to purchase a newspaper to publicize its political creed, Epp made available some 60,000 Reichsmarks from secret army funds to acquire the "Völkischer Beobachter", which became the daily mouthpiece of the party.As the "Sturmabteilung" (SA) expanded, it became an armed band of several hundred thousand men, whose function was to guard Nazi rallies and disrupt those of other political parties.