Blitzed

Drugs in Nazi Germany

by Norman Ohler

360 pages

English language

Published Sept. 14, 2016

ISBN:: 978-0-241-25699-2
OCLC Number:: 941875127

(15 reviews)

"The Nazis presented themselves as warriors against moral degeneracy. Yet, as Norman Ohler's gripping bestseller reveals, the entire Third Reich was permeated with drugs: cocaine, heroin, morphine and, most of all, methamphetamines, or crystal meth, used by everyone from factory workers to housewives, and crucial to troops' resilience - even partly explaining German victory in 1940. The promiscuous use of drugs at the very highest levels also impaired and confused decision-making, with Hitler and his entourage taking refuge in potentially lethal cocktails of stimulants administered by the physician Dr Morell as the war turned against Germany. While drugs cannot on their own explain the events of the Second World War or its outcome, Ohler shows, they change our understanding of it. Blitzed forms a crucial missing piece of the story."

6 editions

Books That Burn reviewed Blitzed by Norman Ohler

Review of 'Blitzed' on 'Storygraph'

4 stars

‪Slowly alternating between vivid and dry, “Blitzed: Drugs in the Third Reich” by Norman Ohler describes how use and abuse of drugs inluding meth, cocaine, and morphine fueled the German war machine and made the Blitzkrieg possible. Well worth the read.‬

There’s a lot of mood whiplash, and an obligatory CW/TW for descriptions of drug use, side effects of addiction, and experimentation on soldiers, children, and concentration camp victims. The roughest sections are at the end so if you hit your limit go ahead and stop because it’s not going to calm down.

Ikwezi reviewed Blitzed by Norman Ohler

Review of 'Blitzed' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

An irresistible portrayal of a Reich fueled by meth from top to bottom, and a Great Dictator who was constantly hopped up on cocaine, Oxy, and animal hormones (and meth, too, by the end). I don't know how accurate it all is but the medical records he relies on are pretty damning

bug138 reviewed Blitzed by Norman Ohler

Review of 'Blitzed' on 'Goodreads'

No rating

Interesting lens on history, but ultimately I had to put it down, since it isn't a great pre-bedtime relaxation read.

Ascapola reviewed Blitzed by Norman Ohler

Review of 'Blitzed' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

An eye-opening and well-researched book which demonstrates the value of archives as Ostler meticulously pulls together the trail of evidence about drug use by Hitler, the Nazi leadership and wider military and civil populations.