Was the Luftwaffe high in the sky?

[Eichhörnchen]

Were the Germans all yippered up on metamphetamines? This would explain a lot:

http://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/uknews...OOl&ocid=wispr

[Aktungbby]

This was on the history channel a year ago.

[Schroeder]

It is known that German troops including SS units received pills with amphetamines. IIRC it has a nice side effect and dulls empathy so the user can commit atrocities easier without thinking too much about it....

Wikipedia adds:

Originally Posted by wikipedia

Military use

One of the earliest uses of amphetamine and methamphetamine was during World War II, when they were used by Axis and Allied forces.[39]
As early as 1919, Akira Ogata synthesized methamphetamine via reduction of ephedrine using red phosphorus and iodine. Later, the chemists Hauschild and Dobke from the German pharmaceutical company Temmler developed an easier method for converting ephedrine to methamphetamine. As a result, it was possible for Temmler to market it on a large scale as a nonprescription drug under the trade name Pervitin (methamphetamine hydrochloride). It was not until 1986 that Pervitin became a controlled substance, requiring a special prescription to obtain.[40] Pervitin was commonly used by the German and Finnish militaries.[39][41]
It was widely distributed across German military ranks and divisions, from elite forces to tank crews and aircraft personnel, with many millions of tablets being distributed throughout the war for its performance enhancing stimulant effects and to induce extended wakefulness.[42] Its use by German Tank (Panzer) crews also led to it being known as Panzerschokolade ("Tank-Chocolates").[43][44] It was also colloquially known among German Luftwaffe pilots as Stuka-Tabletten ("Stuka-Tablets") and Hermann-Göring-Pillen ("Herman-Göring-Pills").[41] More than 35 million three-milligram doses of Pervitin were manufactured for the German army and air force between April and July 1940.[45] From 1942 until his death in 1945, Adolf Hitler was given intravenous injections of methamphetamine by his personal physician Theodor Morell.[45]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Histor...s#Military_use

[Jimbuna]

Yep, drugs weren't invented by the youth of today.

[Catfish]

They were and are used by all sides and armies.. until today.
The MSN article cannot even get the name for the german variant right.

Thinking of Churchill and the british Navy.. is alcohol a drug?

[Oberon]

Just found this pic which indicates that some of the Kriegsmarine possibly were:





(Prinz Eugen after running into the German light cruiser Leipzeig. October 15, 1944.)

[Aktungbby]

Originally Posted by Catfish

Thinking of Churchill and the british Navy.. is alcohol a drug?

Well it either made you a little Groggy or a bit...Tottie!

[Mr Quatro]

Originally Posted by Jimbuna

Yep, drugs weren't invented by the youth of today.

The problem may have started with the first sensual people on the earth Adam and Eve. She ate the apple as the story goes and then saw that it was good and offered it to her mate Adam. That's when they noticed that they were naked

As men and women moved forward in the overall scheme of things life became more complicated with the introduction of drugs to gratify the senses.

The word sensual: http://www.dictionary.com/browse/sensual

adjective

1.pertaining to, inclined to, or preoccupied with the gratification of the senses or appetites; carnal; fleshly.
2.
lacking in moral restraints; lewd or unchaste.
3.
arousing or exciting the senses or appetites.
4.
worldly; materialistic; irreligious.
5.
of or relating to the senses or physical sensation; sensory.
6.
pertaining to the philosophical doctrine of sensationalism.

Synonyms

Sensual, sensuous, voluptuous refer to experience through the senses. Sensual refers, often unfavorably, to the enjoyments derived from the senses, especially from the gratification or indulgence of physical appetites: a sensual delight in eating; sensual excesses. Sensuous refers, favorably or literally, to what is experienced through the senses: sensuous

[Oberon]

[Bilge_Rat]

During WW2, german troops were issued a stimulant under the trade name "Pervitin" which is now known to be methamphetamine, more commonly known as "Speed" or "Crystal Meth".

Based on anecdotal evidence, it seems to have been regularly used by many soldiers, including Panzer crews and pilots.

http://www.spiegel.de/international/...-a-901755.html

http://www.spiegel.de/international/...-a-354606.html

Hitler was also taking methamphetamine regularly from 1942 on, which explains a lot...

The Allies used amphetamines during WW2, like "Benzedrine", although its use seems to have been more tightly controlled, although it was handed out to Allied bomber pilots on long flights.

In Montserrat's "The Cruel Sea" (1951), there is a scene late in the book where the frigate "H.M.S. Saltash" has been hunting a U-boat for a long time. The captain who has been up for 24 hours asks the ship's doctor to give him something to stay awake. After some hesitation, the doc gives him Benzedrine and tells him : "This will keep you up for 24 hours after which you will go out like a light and wake up with quite a hangover". He also admonishes him that Benzedrine is not something to be trifled with, to which the captain replies that he is not planning to make a habit out of it. Montserrat served in the RN in WW2 and the book was based on his wartime experiences. It is a novel, but it does show that even in WW2, it was common knowledge that amphetamines were potentially dangerous.

Amphetamines like "Benzedrine" are also supposed to be less potent than methamphetamines like "Pervitin".

[Eichhörnchen]

Yes I remember that bit of the film well. I almost sat down to watch that movie the other day, oddly enough

[Stealhead]

The US military still gives pilots "go pills" which is mild amphetamine. Most armed forces during WWII issued go pills to troops during the war to keep them alert for combat.

In modern times especially enemy combatants in Iraq during the US tenure there used methamphetamine and artificial adrenaline.

[fumo30]

Originally Posted by Bilge_Rat

although it was handed out to Allied bomber pilots on long flights.

I believe it was in common use.

[Dowly]

In Finland, Pervitin was included in the gear of LRRP units from October 1941 onwards. How much it was used during patrols, I don't know.