Meth use in the German Army

wildb · 08-19-2019, 07:06 AM,

Have you seen the History channel show on meth use in the German army in WW II.

If that show is accurate, then any scenario that lasts longer than week should include random degradation of the German army units due to effect of its use of meth. The show discussed one incident where an SS battalion in the front line outside Leningrad shot up their ammo during the night due to meth induced hallucinations. The next day, the Soviets walked over that unit.

CountryBoy · 08-19-2019, 08:17 AM,

I just finished reading 'Anrhem' by Antony Beevor, where he mentions extensive use of Benzedrine by the paratroopers in 1st Airborne, though it didn't sound like it worked in the way they had intended.

Outlaw Josey Wales · 08-19-2019, 10:37 PM,

I thought meth was a relatively new drug when people were being busted. Shows how much I pay attention t drugs. If it is illegal, I don't want it near me, not even pot.

wiggum · 08-19-2019, 11:10 PM,

Do you have an actual source for this "incident" concerning the SS battalion?

All armies used methamphetamine during WW2, mostly pilots and drivers took it. In 1941 it was outlawed in Germany. Millions of pills were handed out put their impact (besides pilots, drivers, commandos who needed to stay awake for days) during crucial operations is hard to judge.

I DONT think this should be modeled in PzC because then you would have to model Alcohol too.

wildb

The SS incident was mentioned in the history channel show about German drug use.

There is a book called Blitzed: Drugs in the Third Reich by Norman Ohler. It was first published in German in 2015 and the English translation in 2017.

I plan to get it at some point. Using the Amazon viewer, the bibliography is primarily German sources.

Excerpt from the Amazon site:

Drugs seeped all the way up to the Nazi high command and, especially, to Hitler himself. Over the course of the war, Hitler became increasingly dependent on injections of a cocktail of drugs—including a form of heroin—administered by his personal doctor.

There is also a PBS documentary on Allied use:

Secrets of the Dead: World War Speed - June 25. 2019

https://www.livescience.com/65788-world-...mines.html

Excerpt:

When American soldiers landed in North Africa in 1942, they were also operating under the influence of speed; half a million Benzedrine tablets were supplied on the orders of Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower, according to PBS. Also featured in the PBS documentary is a 1942 memo from a British commanding officer, stating that British 24th Armored Tank Brigade soldiers received 20 milligrams of Benzedrine per day, prior to a battle in Egypt. By comparison, the recommended dosage for pilots in the Royal Air Force at the time was only 10 milligrams.

beldurax · 08-20-2019, 01:05 AM,

War is already a heavy enough subject. No offence, but I see no sense in adding the highly negative topic of drug abuse to the mix.

wiggum · 08-20-2019, 01:28 AM,

Well, since we dont know the source for the story about the SS incident i would for now discard it.

"Blitzed: Drugs in the Third Reich by Norman Ohler" is known to be pretty sensationalist and with a very narrow focus. Ohler is no historian but a ordinary Journalist. In his book he goes on to imply that the early success of the germans was only possible because of drug methamphetamine usage as far as i know...a really doubtful analysis especially since it comes from a ordinary Journalist and not from a military historian.

All_American · 08-20-2019, 08:52 AM,

Meth was prevalent among German troops in 1939/40 campaigns, but I haven't heard of its usage among ground troops on the Eastern Front. Its harmful effects were quickly realized and consequently it was no longer issued.

As from a wargaming perspective, I think it would be too insignificant of an event to actually be represented. A better course of action could perhaps be blaming your misclicks on your pixel soldiers high on meth, lol.

wiggum · 08-20-2019, 05:42 PM,

And even in 39/40 it was more used to keep pilots and drivers awake. Pilots had to fly sortie after sortie and drivers had to drive all day and night for multiple days during the crucial stages of the 1940 Blitz in the West. It's not like every Infantry soldier went into combat high on methamphetamine.