Blitzed: Drugs in the Third Reich Paperback - 2018

Name: Blitzed: Drugs in the Third Reich
Price: 8.41 USD
Availability: InStock
Author: Ohler, Norman
ISBN: 9781328915344

by Norman Ohler

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4.05 / 5 (30906 total reviews)

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Reader reviews for Blitzed: Drugs in the Third Reich

Review summary

This seller has earned a 4.05 of 5 Stars rating from internet customers.

4.05 / 5 (30906 total reviews)

Reviewers largely found the book a vivid, highly readable exposé of how stimulants shaped Nazi society and the war effort, with especially gripping coverage of Hitler’s dependence on his physician Theodor Morell. Many praised the archival detail, memorable anecdotes, and page?turning narrative, saying it offers a fresh lens on the Third Reich. At the same time, critics flagged sensational language, speculative leaps, and contradictions about how much drugs drove military outcomes and Hitler’s decisions. The prevailing view: it’s an engaging, provocative contribution that reframes familiar history, even if its claims sometimes overreach and should be read in context with broader factors.

Readers say this book is:

fascinatinggrippingpage-turnerprovocativewell-researchedsensationalistspeculativeaccessiblecontroversialthought-provoking

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From the publisher

A New York Times bestseller, Norman Ohler's Blitzed is a "fascinating, engrossing, often dark history of drug use in the Third Reich" (Washington Post).

The Nazi regime preached an ideology of physical, mental, and moral purity. Yet as Norman Ohler reveals in this gripping work of World War II nonfiction, the Third Reich was saturated with drugs: cocaine, opiates, and, most of all, methamphetamines, which were consumed by everyone from factory workers to housewives to German soldiers.

In fact, troops were encouraged, and in some cases ordered, to take rations of Pervitin, a form of crystal meth--the elevated energy and feelings of invincibility associated with the high even help to account for the breakneck Blitzkrieg invasion that sealed the fall of France in 1940, as well as other German military victories. Hitler himself became increasingly dependent on injections of a cocktail of drugs--ultimately including Eukodal, a cousin of heroin--administered by his personal doctor.

Thoroughly researched and rivetingly readable, Blitzed throws light on a history that, until now, has remained in the shadows.

"Delightfully nuts."--The New Yorker

This meticulously researched history reveals the shocking truth behind Nazi Germany's military machine:

A Secret History of WWII: Uncover the stunning, little-known role of narcotics in the military strategies and daily life of the Third Reich.
The Wehrmacht on Methamphetamine: Learn how rations of crystal meth fueled German troops, enabling the breakneck invasion of France and challenging the narrative of Nazi military might.
High Hitler: Explore Adolf Hitler's own increasing dependence on a cocktail of drugs, including a heroin-like substance, administered by his personal doctor.
A Nation on Speed: Go beyond the front lines to see how methamphetamines became a common part of life for everyone from factory workers to German housewives.

Details

Title Blitzed: Drugs in the Third Reich
Author Norman Ohler
Binding Paperback
Pages 304
Volumes 1
Language ENG
Publisher Mariner Books
Publication date 2018-03-06
Illustrated Yes
Features Bibliography, Illustrated, Index, Table of Contents
ISBN 9781328915344 / 1328915344
Weight 0.48 lbs (0.22 kg)
Dimensions 7.9 x 5.2 x 0.8 in (20.07 x 13.21 x 2.03 cm)
Themes
- Chronological Period: 1930's
- Chronological Period: 1940's
- Chronological Period: 20th Century
- Cultural Region: Eastern Europe
- Cultural Region: Germany
Category History - Military / War
Dewey Decimal Code 362.299

About the author

NORMAN OHLER is an award-winning German novelist, screenwriter, and journalist. He spent five years researching Blitzed in numerous archives in Germany and the United States, and spoke to eyewitnesses, military historians, and doctors.