home

Hitler's Drugged Soldiers

The German newspaper, Spiegel, has been running a series on the last days of WWII this week. Check out this article on Hitler drugging his soldiers with meth.

The Nazis preached abstinence in the name of promoting national health. But when it came to fighting their Blitzkrieg, they had no qualms about pumping their soldiers full of drugs and alcohol. Speed was the drug of choice, but many others became addicted to morphine and alcohol....Pervitin, a stimulant commonly known as speed today, was the German army's -- the Wehrmacht's -- wonder drug.

It was delivered to the soldiers at the front.

Many of the Wehrmacht's soldiers were high on Pervitin when they went into battle, especially against Poland and France -- in a Blitzkrieg fueled by speed. The German military was supplied with millions of methamphetamine tablets during the first half of 1940. The drugs were part of a plan to help pilots, sailors and infantry troops become capable of superhuman performance. The military leadership liberally dispensed such stimulants, but also alcohol and opiates, as long as it believed drugging and intoxicating troops could help it achieve victory over the Allies.

After a while, soldiers developed a tolerance to Pervitin. The German army demanded pharmacologists come up with a new drug -- one that would not only improve endurance, but self-esteem as well. Sound impossible? No, it was called D-IX, and it consisted of:

...five milligrams of cocaine, three milligrams of Pervitin and five milligrams of Eukodal (a morphine-based painkiller). Nowadays, a drug dealer caught with this potent a drug would be sent to prison. At the time, however, the drug was tested on crew members working on the navy's smallest submarines, known as the "Seal" and the "Beaver."

Doctors in Hitler's army became addicted to morphine:

Franz Wertheim, a medical officer who was sent to a small village near the Western Wall on May 10, 1940, wrote the following account: "To help pass the time, we doctors experimented on ourselves. We would begin the day by drinking a water glass of cognac and taking two injections of morphine. We found cocaine to be useful at midday, and in the evening we would occasionally take Hyoskin," an alkaloid derived from some varieties of the nightshade plant that is used as a medication. Wertheim adds: "As a result, we were not always fully in command of our senses."

The U.S. military may not be in a position to claim any sort of superiority. Heroin became established after the civil war, and got its name from being considered a "heroic drug" because it was believed that it would cure morphine addiction, which plagued U.S. soldiers.

Heroin (diacetylmorphine) was first synthesized in 1874 by English researcher, C.R. Wright. The drug went unstudied and unused until 1895 when Heinrich Dreser working for The Bayer Company of Germany, found that diluting morphine with acetyls produced a drug without the common morphine side effects. Heroin was considered a highly effective medication for coughs, chest pains, and the discomfort of tuberculosis. This effect was important because pneumonia and tuberculosis were the two leading causes of death at that time, prior to the discovery of antibiotics. Heroin was touted to doctors as stronger than morphine and safer than codeine. It was thought to be nonaddictive, and even thought to be a cure for morphine addiction or for relieving morphine withdrawal symptoms. Because of its supposed great potential, Dreser derived his name for the new drug from the German word for `heroic.'

As for speed, the Air Force routinely provides "go pills" to its pilots.

< Bush Signs Iraq Spending Bill With Real ID Act | Recidivism Drops in New Jersey >
  • The Online Magazine with Liberal coverage of crime-related political and injustice news

  • Contribute To TalkLeft


  • Display: Sort:
    Re: Hitler's Drugged Soldiers (none / 0) (#1)
    by pigwiggle on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 12:58:58 PM EST
    You failed to point out that the Nazis used catgut as suture material; the US armed forces also used catgut as a suture material. The similarities are eerie. Let me help you with the dissimilarities; for example the modern US armed forces have never systematically designed, built, and employed an expansive infrastructure for the orderly murder of an entire ethnic group. 6+ million European Jews moved by railway, from the reaches of the continent, consolidated, and murdered.

    Re: Hitler's Drugged Soldiers (none / 0) (#2)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 12:58:58 PM EST
    Pigwiggle, I was not comparing our military to the German military to show that our military is also bad. It was to show that not only bad militaries give drugs that are outlawed as dangerous controlled substances to their soldiers. If it's good enough for U.S. soldiers, why is it unlawful for everyone else in America? As I wrote here about the "go-pills",
    Ok, it's not a dangerous drug that distorts judgment. It increases alertness. It prevents fatigue. So why can't everyone else have it without risking a jail sentence? Seems to us, what's good for the goose....


    Re: Hitler's Drugged Soldiers (none / 0) (#3)
    by Quaker in a Basement on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 12:58:59 PM EST
    Stormtroopers on crank? There's a happy thought. Sheesh.

    Re: Hitler's Drugged Soldiers (none / 0) (#4)
    by SeeEmDee on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 12:58:59 PM EST
    "Pervitin"? How apt, given that many Nazis were prone to making loud noises about morality...and who later turned out to be closet, well, pervs. A little accident of history, or synchronicity showing it's hand?

    Re: Hitler's Drugged Soldiers (none / 0) (#5)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 12:58:59 PM EST
    pigglewiggle, you're very sensitive this morning...how about some MORE similarities, if you're going to bite TL's head off... Nazi's brutalized their captives- Americans...Abu Graib, Guantanamo, Afghanistan.... Nazi's espoused the idea of white Aryan superiority- America, the KKK, the Aryan Nation, the Republican Party.... Germany invaded Poland in something other than self-defense- America...Iraq? If you're forced to point to the Nazi's "Final Solution" as proof that America is better than Nazi Germany, you're lowering the bar, like, down to your ankles, aren't you???

    Re: Hitler's Drugged Soldiers (none / 0) (#6)
    by kdog on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 12:58:59 PM EST
    Not for nothing, but if I was a soldier on the front, I wouldn't mind a little pick-me-up to stay alert. Forcing a soldier to take drugs, or doing so without the soldiers knowledge, that would be wrong...but making uppers available in certain situations might not be all bad.

    Re: Hitler's Drugged Soldiers (none / 0) (#7)
    by pigwiggle on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 12:58:59 PM EST
    TL- “If it's good enough for U.S. soldiers, why is it unlawful for everyone else in America? … Seems to us, what's good for the goose....” The health, well-being, and often the lives of soldiers are sacrificed for an end. I think the [entirely misguided] paternalistic mandate given to the feds, really the justification for drug laws, simply doesn’t apply to soldiers.

    Re: Hitler's Drugged Soldiers (none / 0) (#8)
    by sarcastic unnamed one on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 12:58:59 PM EST
    "So why can't everyone else have it without risking a jail sentence?" TL. There's an elephant in the room and no one's talking about it. Do you use illegal drugs?

    Re: Hitler's Drugged Soldiers (none / 0) (#10)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 12:58:59 PM EST
    "Posted by kdog: "Not for nothing, but if I was a soldier on the front, I wouldn't mind a little pick-me-up to stay alert." What a gloriously INACCURATE view of the effects of amphetamine. Amphetamines make people HALLUCINATE. When your buddy's arms turn to snakes in the middle of the firefight, that ain't so good. When US pilots, ordered to take Go Pills even though they aren't tired (or when they are being OVERDEPLOYED because blowing innocent people away from the air is the drug of choice of the Pentagon), then they blow away Canadian troops, British troops, Polish troops -- you name it. Turn the guns on the boys because a split-second, which should be faced by the Right Stuff, is all it takes. The airlines pilots' union AND the British and Canadian militaries both think that giving speed to pilots is INSANE. It gets 'friendlies' killed. Not to ignore the addictions that come back to the US, and sleep on the streets, breaking into cars and houses with all those storm trooper techniques well-learned.

    Re: Hitler's Drugged Soldiers (none / 0) (#11)
    by Johnny on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 12:58:59 PM EST
    meth cause hallucinations? Huh? That one almost got by me... Bad teeth? yes. Weight loss? Yes. The "jitters"? Yes. Hallucinations? I dunno about that. PCP, LSD, shrooms... Meth? No. Lack of sleep associated with 2 week "tweaks" may cause some to see stuff, but I doubt a controlled dosage would cause people to see their comrades arms turn to snakes.

    Re: Hitler's Drugged Soldiers (none / 0) (#12)
    by kdog on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 12:58:59 PM EST
    Just my personal experience with uppers Paul, I never hallucinated. I didn't enjoy the crash after the speed wore off, but for a soldier falling asleep on guard duty, it could be helpful. I allready said forcing a soldier to use a drug against his will is wrong in my book. But if a soldier is exhausted and asks the medic for some uppers, it's the least we can do for the guy.

    Re: Hitler's Drugged Soldiers (none / 0) (#13)
    by sarcastic unnamed one on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 12:58:59 PM EST
    DA, no, not pejorative at all. Straight question.

    Re: Hitler's Drugged Soldiers (none / 0) (#14)
    by Patrick on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 12:58:59 PM EST
    A little clarification here... IIRC this:
    give drugs that are outlawed as dangerous controlled substances to their soldiers.
    is an untrue statement. The military personnel in the U.S. were given amphetamines, dextroamphetamine or dexidrine if you believe MSNBC, not methamphetamine. Amphetamine is a legal regulated schedule II prescription drug.

    Re: Hitler's Drugged Soldiers (none / 0) (#15)
    by Patrick on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 12:58:59 PM EST
    to finish my point, it is not outlawed, but controlled and that's a big difference.

    Re: Hitler's Drugged Soldiers (none / 0) (#17)
    by pigwiggle on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 12:59:01 PM EST
    “What a gloriously INACCURATE view of the effects of amphetamine.” His description, a pick me up, is entirely consistent with my experience. I used low doses of methamphetamine as a study aid during final exams on a couple of occasions. I have never been so productive and on task. My test scores were markedly above my average performance on semester tests, something that didn’t go unnoticed by my professors. I’ve known addicts who were delusional and often hallucinated, but have never known anyone to hallucinate from short-term use. Anyway, my limited experience. And as for use in combat; I would eat a turd if I thought it might save my life.

    Re: Hitler's Drugged Soldiers (none / 0) (#18)
    by sarcastic unnamed one on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 12:59:01 PM EST
    DA, feel better now? You are far off the mark. Why don't you let her speak for herself if she wishes, maybe we'd all learn something.

    Re: Hitler's Drugged Soldiers (none / 0) (#19)
    by Che's Lounge on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 12:59:01 PM EST
    Kdog, I see your point but the military would not monitor the effects, leading to rampant abuse. PIL is correct. Overuse CAN cause hallucinations. I also have personally witnessed a person (on crystal meth) "hallucinating like a motherf***er", as HST would say. And Patrick is also correct in that amphetamine sulfate (Dexedrine) is a legal controlled substance. Much "Cleaner" than meth.

    Re: Hitler's Drugged Soldiers (none / 0) (#20)
    by Richard Aubrey on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 12:59:01 PM EST
    When in OCS, we all had out giant economy size box of NO-DOZ. It was all we could get. I got to hate that stuff. The ability to go without sleep is limited, but the exigencies of the service are not. My father, fighting in Holland, had been exhausted by having to cover for several other officers who were casualties, and then they got into a three-day fight. At the end, some of the guys in his platoon hauled him into a building and put him under a table where he slept for eighteen hours. After sixty years, he still recalls how awful just the inhuman fatigue was. If he'd had an upper, he might have been able to go another day but he didn't have any, and, fortunately, he didn't have to. There are stories that pilots on long ferry flights take uppers and, upon arrival, are given downers so they can sleep their way back to a normal schedule. Considering the penalty for sleeping at the wrong time is death, this sort of thing isn't surprising.

    Re: Hitler's Drugged Soldiers (none / 0) (#21)
    by roger on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 12:59:01 PM EST
    The US allows heroin to be used in combat for diarreah (sp?). Nothing stops a person up that fast. I believe that the last time it was actually used this way was WWII, but it is still legal today. "Amphetamine psychosis" can result from prolonged use of speed in most people, and light use by schizophrenics. Whether, or what, TL uses is nobodys business. The ignorance abounds........

    Re: Hitler's Drugged Soldiers (none / 0) (#22)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 12:59:02 PM EST
    Amphetamine, in any form, causes hallucinations. It's not exactly a secret: "Psychotic episodes... overstimulation, restlessness, dizziness, insomnia, euphoria, dyskinesia, dysphoria, tremor, headaches..." Overstimulation, dizziness, dyskinesia (jerking limbs, generally), tremors -- these are not good conditions for flying a jet. Military doses are more potent. Military doses are more frequent. The commonly-stated AND OBSERVED side-effect: increasing aggressive behavior, is why the military wants to turn out soldiers into addicts. The use of drugs, including experimental drugs, on our soldiers, not for medical need, but for 'enhanced performance, iis VERY DANGEROUS to the people around them, both in country and back in the states, when the murder of wives and children continues to climb as a predictable offset from combat service. They also take downers, which again have a whole series of side-effects, including severe psychological and judgment dysfunctions. The combination of increased aggression (= reduced judgment) and perceptual distortion is WHY the UK military does not approve of giving such drugs to their pilots. No one thinks the Brits don't know how to fight. Or maybe you wingers would like to attack the Brits with some WWI reference from your cobwebbed warehouses of jingoistic trivia?

    Re: Hitler's Drugged Soldiers (none / 0) (#23)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 12:59:02 PM EST
    The funny thing is to compare how wingers think (or claim to think) that torture is a good time, and they also think that making soldiers into addicts is for their own good. They act like the dissenting views of those in the Pentagon, the UK and Canadian airforces, medical doctors, and the airline pilot's union are just uninformed, when it simply looks like: They support the POLICY -- screw the soldiers. It's flat out obvious.