Norman Ohler examines the pervasive use of Pervitin, a factory-produced methamphetamine, within the military and civilian sectors of the Third Reich. He details how the Wehrmacht utilized these stimulants to sustain the high-speed maneuvers of the 1940 invasion of France, effectively chemically engineering the endurance required for blitzkrieg tactics. The narrative further tracks the escalating drug dependency of Adolf Hitler. Through the records of his personal physician, Theodor Morell, Ohler documents a regimen of daily injections containing vitamins, steroids, and the potent opioid Eukodal, which maintained the dictator's delusions as the military situation collapsed.
This book serves historians and readers interested in the pharmacological aspects of total war. It provides a materialist perspective on how narcotics influenced the decision-making processes of the Nazi high command and the physical stamina of frontline soldiers. Readers gain a technical understanding of the German pharmaceutical industry's role in the conflict and how chemical intervention masked the physical and mental decay of the regime’s leadership. One concludes the text with a revised view of the ideological purity claimed by the state versus its operational reliance on performance-enhancing substances.
Outward-looking and clear-cut; a moderate read.
Best for readers like The Evidence Seeker. Which reader are you?
- Published
- 2015
- Language
- EN
