New York Times Bestseller “[A] fascinating, engrossing, often dark history of drug use in the Third Reich.” — Washington Post The Nazi regime preached an ideology of physical, mental, and moral purity. Yet as Norman Ohler reveals in this gripping new history, the Third Reich was saturated with drugs: cocaine, opiates, and, most of all, methamphetamines, which were consumed by everyone from … methamphetamines, which were consumed by everyone from factory workers to housewives to German soldiers. In fact, troops were encouraged, and in some cases ordered, to take rations of a form of crystal meth–the elevated energy and feelings of invincibility associated with the high even help to account for the breakneck invasion that sealed the fall of France in 1940, as well as other German military victories. Hitler himself became increasingly dependent on injections of a cocktail of drugs–ultimately including Eukodal, a cousin of heroin–administered by his personal doctor.
Thoroughly researched and rivetingly readable, Blitzed throws light on a history that, until now, has remained in the shadows.
“Delightfully nuts.” — The New Yorker
NORMAN OHLER is an award-winning German novelist, screenwriter, and journalist. He is the author of the novels Die Quotenmaschine (the world’s first hypertext novel), Mitte, and Stadt des Goldes (translated into English as Ponte City). He was cowriter of the script for Wim Wenders’s film Palermo Shooting. He lives in Berlin.
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I rarely read 100% of non-fiction books and I was glued to this one until the end. Looking at many of the events of WW2 through the lens of drug use helped me visualize key moments in a way I hadn’t before.
Explains a lot of mysteries which have had me wondering for years — how did the Wehrmacht tear through the French Army so quickly? It turns out that methamphetamine is a highly effective military solution to solving the problem of soldiers needing rest.
Fascinating to read about substance abuse in the Third Reich.
This book was an unexpectedly interesting cultural history, which put well-known into contexts I hadn’t encountered before reading this book. I would be interested in reading similar treatments of other eras of history.
I knew nothing about drugs being used in WWII prior to this book so I found everything in it informative. Highly recommended!
This book was very informational which is not typical of the books that I read. That being said, it was boring. The layout of the writing was a little bit choppy. However, I did enjoy all the informstion it gave me regarding World War 2. It was more of the behind the scenes of it all which was interesting.
Bogged down a bit. Seemed to say the same thing over and over with different players.
Who knew that the Blitzkrieg was based on 35 million speed pills and that the tankers stayed awake for 17 days before they reached The English Channel. This book is based on primary research and shows how you could walk down to the corner chemist and buy as much methamphetamine as you wanted over the counter in 1939 German. Written by a fluent German speaker who went in the archives to find out how many different drugs Hitler was taking and to show how the whole of Germany was on methamphetamine and cocaine before the war blitzed also tracks the start of the doping program in the Olympics
Absolutely eye-popping take on how the nation tried to get over one World war through drug use and literally speeded into the next war and how the whole of the German leadership Was addicted to something.
While Hitler’s political ambitions were already well underway, one cannot wonder how much Dr Morell’s drug cocktails influenced the outcome of WW2. The alleged widespread use of methamphetamine by Germany’s military and the civilian population is truly disturbing. Furthermore, the power that Morrel gains during the war, as Hitler’s personal physician, combined with the horror stories of methamphetamine use during combat make this book a fascinating read.
Little known side of the Nazis regarding their addition to drugs. This book seems well- researched though in some sections the pace was slow.
This book explains a lot.
Our president has a fanatic following and demands absolute loyalty. Our fastest growing deadly epidemic is from opiates and stimulants, and we classify addiction as a crime. Our president does not talk about his own drug and alcohol experience, and his older brother’s death from alcoholism is never discussed in public. These are things that also happened 70-80 years ago in World War II.
Secrets. This book gives a well-documented look at the secret role of drugs in the otherwise incomprehensible German Blitzkrieg of WWII. That ended in pitiful demoralization with widespread death and destruction. I finished the book sick, scared, angry, and ashamed. Why does our society remain silent when effective diagnosis, intervention, and drug treatment is available? Do drugs need to be a shameful secret? Let us get honest with ourselves and talk about this! As a worldwide human society we can and must learn from our mistakes!
Badly written, poorly researched.
BLITZED is a fascinating well-researched account of how the Third Reich endorsed and promoted the use of methamphetamines before and during the War. Some soldiers during Blitzkrieg invasion of Poland didn’t sleep for 72 hours. Interesting behavior from Hitler when he started taking “speed” injections; became more paranoid and ordered a halt to several programs that likely would have been successful. True history that is nearly all new to you and very hard to put down.
I’ve read a lot of WWII books and some about Hitler, but none have delved into the huge role drugs played. The information provided in the book was researched for five years by this journalist, including places not often ventured, mainly because it’s in German. The info isn’t given in a chronological order that pairs with the war’s big events.
unique and disturbing