To many of you, this might come as a surprise that Hitler was a drug addict. Indeed, no sane man could have substituted Hitler! Recent studies on Nazi Germany have revealed that not only Hitler but many of his accomplices and the German army became heavily dependent on drugs towards the end of World War II. Cocaine, opioids, and methamphetamine or crystal meth were among 74 other medications Nazis abused.
In 1944, World War II was on its apices; the downfall of Germany seemed inevitable. However, the optimism of Hitler was insanely high. It was as if something secret Hitler has on his mind that might turn things around for the Germans. Unfortunately, it was nothing more than substance abuse. Norman Ohler writes in his book, Blitzed: Drugs In the Third Reich uncovering the secrets of the Third Reich based in part on the papers of Hitler’s private physician; Ohler has cited three instances of Hitler’s substance dependence.
Moreover, Ohler has comprehensively categorized Hitler’s substance abuse into three phases. During the first phase, Dr. Theodor Morell injected Hitler with high doses of vitamins, starting from 1936. This was the time when Morell was appointed as his physician. The second phase began in 1941, Morell prescribed opiate pills. Finally, in 1943, during the third phase, high doses of opiates were given to Hitler.
Furthermore, medical records and interviews of Hitler’s physicians suggest that Hitler took crystal meth frequently before 1943. It has been reported widely that during a meeting, perhaps, before 1943, Hitler was so high on meth that he ranted for two hours with Mussolini. Moreover, during his final days in bunkers, Hitler supposedly took nine doses of Vitamulitin that was formulated with Methamphetamine.
It must have been too late for Hitler when he finally realized he was heavily dependent on drugs. It is believed that he was more concerned with his performance as a leader, and medications in the initials stages of his illness enabled him to function. His ability to make military decisions was enhanced by the drugs that lead him to believe Moller blindly. However, Hitler eventually realized he was fooled, and Moller was fired late in 1945. This was the time when Hitler lost most of his control, and there was no way he could have recovered from such a trauma. In addition, there is visual evidence that suggests Hitler suffered from withdrawal symptoms; he avoided shaking hands due to tremors.
Methamphetamine was developed by Temmler, a German company based in Berlin during the mid-1930s, was perfectly legal to produce and sell. Consequently, it was marketed as Pervitin and sold widely. German army realized the fear alleviating and performance-boosting effects of Pervitin and subsequently was prescribed to German soldiers. However, towards the end of World War II, Merck Co. in Darmstadt had been destroyed by the British; consequently, the supply of any of the potent substances was cut off.
Subsequently, Hitler was deprived of any of the drugs, and this was the time when Hitler must have realized he was addicted to drugs. Had there been a different scenario? Hitler, with his military capabilities would have done more harm than he already did. However, it can be ascertained that Hitler was fooled or he was simply arrogant; his addiction proved fatal and was a leading cause of his failure in World War II.
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