Norman Ohler: Hitler, Nazis, Drugs, WW2, Blitzkrieg, LSD, MKUltra & CIA | Lex Fridman Podcast #481

Norman Ohler reveals the extensive and often overlooked role of methamphetamine in the German military and opioids in Hitler's personal regimen during World War II, fundamentally altering the understanding of the Nazi regime's operations and leadership.

• The German Wehrmacht extensively used methamphetamine (Pervitin) to sustain the Blitzkrieg's rapid advances.

• Hitler, despite initial teetotalism, became heavily dependent on a cocktail of drugs, primarily opioids, influencing his later decision-making.

• Norman Ohler's research offers a critical, previously ignored perspective on the role of drugs in Nazi Germany's military and leadership.

Norman Ohler's research, detailed in his book "Blitzed: Drugs in the Third Reich," uncovers the systematic use of psychoactive drugs, particularly methamphetamine (Pervitin), by the German military during WWII. This widespread drug use significantly influenced key campaigns like the Blitzkrieg, enabling soldiers to fight for days without sleep. Concurrently, Hitler, initially a teetotaler, became increasingly reliant on a cocktail of drugs, primarily opioids like Eukodal, administered by his personal physician Dr. Theodor Morell, leading to a profound impact on his decision-making and physical degeneration.

Pervitin and the Blitzkrieg

• 00:01:26 The 1940 plan for a surprise attack through the Ardennes Mountains, requiring German tank divisions to reach Sedan within three days and nights without stopping, made fatigue a critical problem. Professor Otto Ranke, head of the Institute for Army Physiology, provided the solution: methamphetamine (Pervitin). Temmler company delivered 35 million dosages to the front lines for the French campaign, enabling soldiers to overcome fear and stay awake, contributing to the Blitzkrieg's initial rapid success. This strategic use of meth was a bold and untested decision, with soldiers in tanks experiencing an 'uplifting' and 'joyful' rush during combat, transforming their behavior into a 'berserk' fighting style, as exemplified by Rommel’s division.

• 00:40:50 Pervitin was developed by the Temmler Company after the 1936 Olympics, aiming to create a superior German amphetamine. Fritz Hauschild, the chief chemist, synthesized methamphetamine, which was patented and sold as Pervitin without prescription, making it widely accessible and cheap. Initially lauded as a performance enhancer that reduced fear and appetite, its negative effects and addictive nature only became publicly known in 1940, with warnings from figures like Speer's psychologist, but the military largely ignored these concerns, continuing its use until the end of the war.

Hitler's Drug Regimen

• 01:31:37 Dr. Theodor Morell, a celebrity doctor and pioneer of 'Dr. Feelgood' medicine, became Hitler's personal physician in 1937 after successfully treating Hitler's chronic stomach issues with probiotics. Hitler, initially a strict teetotaler and vegetarian, developed a dependency on daily injections of vitamins and glucose administered by Morell, valuing the perceived health benefits and the ritual of the injection. Morell, despite his unappealing demeanor, garnered Hitler's trust due to his medical knowledge and willingness to cater to Hitler's desire for performance enhancement without questioning.

• 01:41:35 Hitler's drug use escalated dramatically in August 1941 during the Eastern Front campaign, when Morell injected him with Dolantine, an opioid, to combat severe Russian flu symptoms. This marked a shift from vitamins to experimental, potent drugs, including bull's testicle extracts and eventually the highly addictive opioid Eukodal (oxycodone), which he began using regularly by July 1943. Eukodal provided a clear, confident high, making Hitler feel invincible and enabling him to dominate critical meetings, as seen in his unyielding stance with Mussolini in 1943. He viewed these as performance-enhancing medicines rather than illicit drugs, reflecting a significant contradiction to the Nazi anti-drug ideology.

• 02:29:45 After the 1944 assassination attempt, Hitler's drug cocktail further intensified with the addition of cocaine, administered by an ear, nose, and throat specialist, Dr. Keesing, to treat his blown eardrums. Cocaine, often combined with Morell's intravenous Eukodal, created a dangerous 'speedball' effect, further boosting Hitler's confidence and ego, but also accelerating his physical and mental degeneration. In his final weeks in the bunker, Hitler experienced severe Eukodal withdrawal, exacerbated by the destruction of Merck's production facilities, leading to a confrontation with Goebbels and the eventual firing of Morell, highlighting his complete physical and psychological collapse.