The Wehrmacht high: drugs in the service of the Third Reich

Categories: Health and Medicine | History |

At that time, the Red Army used the "front hundred grams" on the other side of the trenches, it was methamphetamines. Under the influence of drugs the soldiers could not sleep for days, never felt any fear or pain.

The Wehrmacht high: drugs in the service of the Third Reich

This letter to future Nobel laureate Heinrich böll parents and it was not unusual for soldiers of the Wehrmacht in 1939 issued methamphetamine, Benzedrine and isophane for cheerfulness, and when they did not have enough meth — they asked the parents to send them to him. Parents was not difficult — in the Reich methamphetamine sold openly, even in the form of chocolates, which was nicknamed "pantisocracy" — "tank chocolate" because it is readily bought by the soldiers.

The Wehrmacht high: drugs in the service of the Third Reich

Medical certificate: Methamphetamine, or meth, is an artificial derivative of amphetamine, is a white crystalline substance, odorless and bitter taste. It is a stimulant with an extremely high potential of addictively, therefore, widespread as drug. Street names for meth are manifold: speed, chalk, AIDS (from the English. the word speed-speed). Welcome meth causes a surge of strength and confidence, dramatically improves performance and reduces, despite the lack of sleep and rest, tiredness and also pain, hunger and thirst. First amphetamine, the predecessor of the described drug was synthesized in Germany in 1887, and methamphetamine, easier to use, but more powerful, created in 1919 by Japanese scientist A. Ogata.

The Wehrmacht high: drugs in the service of the Third Reich

The first test of pervitin were 90 students who in 1939 under the supervision of a military doctor Otto Ranke was taking medication and expressed confidence that the pills help them to be fit and energetic, then it got tankers and drivers before the invasion of Poland, but after the success of the portion of pervitin started to get pilots. Supposedly methamphetamine, Benzedrine and isophane contributed to the success of the blitzkrieg in Europe. Only for April–July 1940 the Wehrmacht was 35 million tablets from the company "knoll" with the instruction to apply to 2 tablets per day for more energy.

The Wehrmacht high: drugs in the service of the Third Reich

In the period from 1939 to 1945, hundreds of thousands of German soldiers were "fed to" more than 200 million tablets of pervitin. A large dose got the parts involved in the invasion of Poland, France, Holland and Belgium.

The Wehrmacht high: drugs in the service of the Third Reich
The Wehrmacht high: drugs in the service of the Third Reich

Keywords: The second World war | Methamphetamine | Soldiers | Pills

     

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