Blitzed

Drugs in the Third Reich

By: Norman Ohler, Shaun Whiteside - translator, Claire Bloom - director

Narrated by: Stefan Rudnicki

Length: 7 hrs and 20 mins

Publisher's summary

The Nazi regime preached an ideology of physical, mental, and moral purity. But as Norman Ohler reveals in this gripping new history, the Third Reich was saturated with drugs. On the eve of World War II, Germany was a pharmaceutical powerhouse, and companies such as Merck and Bayer cooked up cocaine, opiates, and, most of all, methamphetamines, to be consumed by everyone from factory workers to housewives to millions of German soldiers. In fact, troops regularly took rations of a form of crystal meth - the elevated energy and feelings of invincibility associated with the high even help to explain certain German military victories.

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. While drugs alone cannot explain the Nazis' toxic racial theories or the events of World War II, Ohler's investigation makes an overwhelming case that, if drugs are not taken into account, our understanding of the Third Reich is fundamentally incomplete. Carefully researched and rivetingly listenable, Blitzed throws surprising light on a history that, until now, has remained in the shadows.

©2017 Norman Ohler (P)2017 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

The best "Gotterdammerung" book I have ever read.

I am a 70 year-old physician, specializing in addiction medicine, and still practicing. SUPERB BOOK.

Incredible!

Great piece of world history. A very intimate delve into Hitlers life and parts of WW2 that you never hear about.

Germany was blitzed out of their minds

Was Germany able to fly through France because they were drugged up? Maybe not, but it didn't hurt that their soldiers were all issued meth to avoid the need to sleep. This book shows you how drugs weren't simply important to Germany in WW2, but a pivotal part of the post-WW1 German economy and seen as an integral part of the German war effort (to high ranking Nazi officials). The narrator was well chosen for such a touchy subject.

Drugs destroyed Hitler

I have not been able to check if the story is true. But as reader of history, this make sense. The scary truth seems to tell that drugs almost made the Nazis win the war, but also caused their demise! The big blunders that was done, may was caused by the influence of drugs!? Most likely! Unknown to to me before reading this book! Read it!

The harsh reality of drug use

Great book as a historical documentary of drug use by Hitler AND his third reich effort. This is not a “feel good” book; but it tells a truth that needed to be told. The fact that Hitler used so much meth that his teeth were falling out and he could not eat normal food is not something that the history books tell.

Fantastic and not really a surprise.

Being a war fanatic and historian this book and its knowledge comes at no real shock nor should it to anyone whose ever seen Hitler and his actions. What’s shocking was the gross negligence with wild and largely experimental drugs by the Nazis and later on the US to some degree. The author was clear and concise and told the story in a very factual manner. The books not horribly long where it would turn to a bore and as it came for free (to me at least) made it well worth the listen.

Fascinating history

Terrific book to listen to while driving. Each chapter was full of surprising details about the Third Reich’s drug use.
I am still stunned by the information. Great read!!

necessary element for serious WWII/Nazi student

this narrator performs well, however, his voice is annoying & distracting to me; thankfully, not enough that I abandon listening when he is reading, but I have heard him do more than one performance, & just feel his voice is too heavy, though the accent may be appropriate; he sounds like the actor who plays the brother on Everybody Loves Raymond -Brad Garrett (Bradley Henry Gerstenfeld)

having consumed undreds of hours of listening & hard copy reading on the vast category of WWII, including The Rise & Fall of the 3rd Reich, I can knowledgeably say this book is key to tying together the many parts of the huge area of study/interest; I was aware of questionable "medical" management of Hitler, & of Goering's regular use of drugs for legitimate reasons gone awry, but had NO idea of the massive routine production, experimentation, & implementation of it as a strategy for dealing with reality/tasks before the German civilian population, the military, & high leadership, all of it based on detailed documentation; it adds a whole new level of understanding to the course of things; the author does an excellent job of tying in what was going on with the drug culture to what was going on with the war & various individuals, giving tidbits, where available, about the post war lives of those who survived

Nice Information

I would recommend to anyone who like history. It does focus alot on Hitlers personal doctor

Everything you didn’t know you needed about the Third Reich & addictions

There’s always a new perspective on the Third Reich, on who Hitler was. The detailed medical study in this book makes a fascinating case that some of Hitler’s strangest decisions can be linked to drug use.