http://www.policymic.com/articles/46555/pervitin-hitler-used-crystal-meth-to-keep-soldiers-awake-on-the-front-lines
Post here for ease:
Pervitin Hitler Used Crystal Meth to Keep Soldiers Awake On the Front Lines
Ever wondered why the Nazis are zombies in Call of Duty? Turns out that the Wehrmacht, Germany’s World War II army, distributed millions of Pervitin tablets, or “Panzerschokolade” (“tank chocolate”) as it was known, to soldiers on the front to boost their awareness and energy levels. You may know Pervitin by its modern name, methamphetamine, or crystal meth.
Letters have been found from soldiers, including Nobel Prize in literature winner Heinrich Boll, writing home for the “alertness aid” Pervitin. Boll’s letter dated May 20, 1940, contains a request: "Perhaps you could obtain some more Pervitin for my supplies?" He claims that they were as effective at keeping him awake as several cups of coffee, and helped him temporarily forget the trials and terrors of war.
Known as a “miracle pill,” Pervitin was popularized in the 1930s by Berlin-based company Temmler Werker. Hitler himself was known to have taken daily injections of the methamphetamine from 1942 until his death in 1945. In a four month span in 1940 more than 35 million three-milligram doses of Pervitin were manufactured for the German army and air force.
This practice continued after the war, with Temmler Werke distributing the pills to both the East and West German armies. It wasn’t until the 1970s that the West Germans removed the drug, and until 1988 for the East.
Today the hazards of such drugs are well known. Although users initially experience an intensely pleasurable high and energy surge, the drug wreaks havoc on brain function, often leading to anxiety, confusion, insomnia, mood disturbances, violent behavior, paranoia, visual and auditory hallucinations and delusions.
Now THAT is interesting!
ReplyDeleteI would agree, I went...wow! They didn't teach that in history class...but back then it was just a "drug" not a problem...it was the start of it. Still, Hilter a meth user! Classic!
DeleteUmmm, not quite. Meth was discovered in 1887, a little before Hitler's time. Meth was used by German, Japanese, Finnish, and ALLIED troops in WW II.
ReplyDelete"Methamphetamine and amphetamine were given to Allied bomber pilots during World War II to sustain them by fighting off fatigue and enhancing focus during long flights. The experiment failed because soldiers became agitated, could not channel their aggression and showed impaired judgment. Rather, dextroamphetamine (Dexedrine) became the drug of choice for American bomber pilots, being used on a voluntary basis by roughly half of the U.S. Air Force pilots during the Persian Gulf War, a practice which came under some media scrutiny in 2003 after a mistaken attack on Canadian troops."
But it is interesting. Most drugs we ban today were used over-the-counter before we realized their long-term effects.
Thanks Dale, interesting that things like this never came up in history....
DeleteDesturbing article but intressting...
ReplyDelete