History 101:
Book Review: Blitzed-Drugs in Nazi Germany By Norman Ohler Part 1
In this blog I will be conveying and explaining my rating and opinions on this controversial but revolutionary book:
Before reading this blog I do recommend you read this book if you are interested in this area because I will be spoiling the main events of the book so i can get across my opinion.
Right, where do I start! Firstly this book stunned me as I was reading it on holiday up north. It not only hit you with absurd but reasonably believable stories, at times, but gave another dimension not explored before in the realm of the Third Reich. The main message of the book is about how the Nazis utilised and refined Methamphetamine (a form of crystal meth) for use on an industrial scale for soldiers, civilians and even the Nazi high command IE Hitler. Ohler explicitly tears down any old beliefs of the Nazis being completely opposed to drugs and sheds light on how the Weimar Republic* was the largest drug producer in the world, Berlin being the drug capital. Therefore historians have always assumed that the Nazis would have steered well clear of the 'corrupt' and 'weak' Weimar ways. But a matter of fact they didn't and secretly ordered the creation of Pervitin, to dish out to their population.
What is Methamphetamine? well even though I have read the book I'm no drug expert so here is the dictionary definition- Methamphetamine is a strong central nervous system stimulant that is mainly used as a recreational drug and less commonly as a second-line treatment for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and obesity. The Nazis used it for the second 'less common' use, for attention deficit. Their plan was to keep people awake for as long as possible so they could; continue fighting without rest, continue working without rest and maybe most importantly just to stay awake and alert in any activity. This would give Germany a strong advantage over the allies if they could continue fighting and continue working for several days without sleep. It meant the Nazis could advance in foreign territory for days and swiftly take a country out within weeks, while the allied soldiers were constantly tired and on the back-foot because they had no drugs keeping them awake.
Sound familiar? does the Blitzkrieg ring any bells? Well, Ohler argues that the main reason why the invasion of France was so quick was because Germanys troops were constantly moving, which put the French and British on the back foot. Rommel and Guderians Panzer divisions were supposedly high on crystal meth, which meant they could sweep behind enemy lines and continue moving for days on end without the need for rest. French and British soldiers, fatigued, were then cleaned up by German infantry who were also on 'Pervitin'. In my opinion this is where Ohlers first statement looses ground. Ohler states that after the Blitzkrieg; "from now on Uppers are indispensable". If Pervitin played such a key role in taking out the French then why have we only found out about it now. Surely if the whole German Wehrmacht were high on Crystal Meth then it would have been common knowledge? Especially because after you use one or two tablets to stay awake your body would normally become reliant on it.
There are also no records of the army ordering nearly enough tablets for a 2 million strong army addicted to Methamphetamine. There is also no evidence for the army even taking so much Pervitin. Yes, there is evidence for the ordering of 30 million tablets of Methamphetamine but for an army over two million thats only about 10 or so tablets per soldier, therefore if a whole army was supposedly 'reliant' on crystal meth then they would have run out within days! Thats if they even took the tablets in the first place.
Even though there is inconclusive evidence for the first few chapters of the book it does open a very interesting point of view on the German army and the Blitzkrieg. Ohler also talks about how the drug was also used in other theatres of battle such as the Eastern front. Pervitin again supposedly fuelled the Nazi war machine as they thrusted through Russia in late 1941 and early 1942. Again, In my opinion this is both absurd and somehow plausible. The use of crystal meth could explain the Nazis early surge through Russia and how the mighty red army were being torn apart. But, and there is a big but, why did the German army stop within miles of Moscow? surely if they were pumped up on drugs then they were no match for the Soviet Union, even in the winter? was it that the German troops became less affected by the drugs because they had taken so much crystal meth and therefore the normal doses had become ineffective on them. Maybe it was because the Soviet Union rallied or enlisted millions more men to fight. Maybe it was because the Germans had run out of drugs. Probably though it was because they were never on them in the first place! the logistics in the Soviet Union became worse and worse and therefore the movement of these vast amounts of drugs would have become impossible. Of course Ohler again fails to present vital evidence to explain and back up the 'indispensable uppers' that helped them win the Blitzkrieg and take on the Red army. Yes he gives us first hand accounts of the odd army doctor or officer talking about the 'marvellous Pervitin', however a good argument always needs a combination of detailed and general facts coupled with primary and secondary sources! Ohler uses little of any.
Thanks for reading! In the next part of my Blitzed book review I will be talking about how Ohler investigates how the Nazis publicised Pervitin and made it open to the general public. I will also rate out of five how good this history book is.
*Weimar Republic- post WW1 democratic government in Germany between 1919-1933. PRE-NAZI!
History 101:
Enquires: theverybesthistory101@gmail.com
Twitter: @theVBHistory101
[i do not own these pictures]
Book Review: Blitzed-Drugs in Nazi Germany By Norman Ohler Part 1
In this blog I will be conveying and explaining my rating and opinions on this controversial but revolutionary book:
Before reading this blog I do recommend you read this book if you are interested in this area because I will be spoiling the main events of the book so i can get across my opinion.
 |
| Blitzed book |
Right, where do I start! Firstly this book stunned me as I was reading it on holiday up north. It not only hit you with absurd but reasonably believable stories, at times, but gave another dimension not explored before in the realm of the Third Reich. The main message of the book is about how the Nazis utilised and refined Methamphetamine (a form of crystal meth) for use on an industrial scale for soldiers, civilians and even the Nazi high command IE Hitler. Ohler explicitly tears down any old beliefs of the Nazis being completely opposed to drugs and sheds light on how the Weimar Republic* was the largest drug producer in the world, Berlin being the drug capital. Therefore historians have always assumed that the Nazis would have steered well clear of the 'corrupt' and 'weak' Weimar ways. But a matter of fact they didn't and secretly ordered the creation of Pervitin, to dish out to their population.
What is Methamphetamine? well even though I have read the book I'm no drug expert so here is the dictionary definition- Methamphetamine is a strong central nervous system stimulant that is mainly used as a recreational drug and less commonly as a second-line treatment for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and obesity. The Nazis used it for the second 'less common' use, for attention deficit. Their plan was to keep people awake for as long as possible so they could; continue fighting without rest, continue working without rest and maybe most importantly just to stay awake and alert in any activity. This would give Germany a strong advantage over the allies if they could continue fighting and continue working for several days without sleep. It meant the Nazis could advance in foreign territory for days and swiftly take a country out within weeks, while the allied soldiers were constantly tired and on the back-foot because they had no drugs keeping them awake.
 |
| Pervitin or Crystal meth packaging |
There are also no records of the army ordering nearly enough tablets for a 2 million strong army addicted to Methamphetamine. There is also no evidence for the army even taking so much Pervitin. Yes, there is evidence for the ordering of 30 million tablets of Methamphetamine but for an army over two million thats only about 10 or so tablets per soldier, therefore if a whole army was supposedly 'reliant' on crystal meth then they would have run out within days! Thats if they even took the tablets in the first place.
 |
| German soldiers on the Eastern front |
Even though there is inconclusive evidence for the first few chapters of the book it does open a very interesting point of view on the German army and the Blitzkrieg. Ohler also talks about how the drug was also used in other theatres of battle such as the Eastern front. Pervitin again supposedly fuelled the Nazi war machine as they thrusted through Russia in late 1941 and early 1942. Again, In my opinion this is both absurd and somehow plausible. The use of crystal meth could explain the Nazis early surge through Russia and how the mighty red army were being torn apart. But, and there is a big but, why did the German army stop within miles of Moscow? surely if they were pumped up on drugs then they were no match for the Soviet Union, even in the winter? was it that the German troops became less affected by the drugs because they had taken so much crystal meth and therefore the normal doses had become ineffective on them. Maybe it was because the Soviet Union rallied or enlisted millions more men to fight. Maybe it was because the Germans had run out of drugs. Probably though it was because they were never on them in the first place! the logistics in the Soviet Union became worse and worse and therefore the movement of these vast amounts of drugs would have become impossible. Of course Ohler again fails to present vital evidence to explain and back up the 'indispensable uppers' that helped them win the Blitzkrieg and take on the Red army. Yes he gives us first hand accounts of the odd army doctor or officer talking about the 'marvellous Pervitin', however a good argument always needs a combination of detailed and general facts coupled with primary and secondary sources! Ohler uses little of any.
Thanks for reading! In the next part of my Blitzed book review I will be talking about how Ohler investigates how the Nazis publicised Pervitin and made it open to the general public. I will also rate out of five how good this history book is.
*Weimar Republic- post WW1 democratic government in Germany between 1919-1933. PRE-NAZI!
History 101:
Enquires: theverybesthistory101@gmail.com
Twitter: @theVBHistory101
[i do not own these pictures]
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