Norman Ohler wrote Blitzed, the story of drugs in the Third Reich. Mark “Moose” McGrath and I asked him how a methamphetamine called Pervitin shaped the German army’s rapid campaigns in World War II, and what that means for how we think about tempo.
Pervitin and the Blitzkrieg
Norman describes how widely the German military used Pervitin during its fast, aggressive campaigns. He contrasts that with French strategy at the time, which he sees as outdated. The drug kept soldiers awake and moving far longer than normal.
Stimulants on every side
The Germans were one of several forces using stimulants. Norman tells stories about British use of amphetamines with Churchill’s backing. Legal stimulants still show up in modern special units. We talk about the balance between chemically boosted performance and the rest and recovery people need, and the long-term cost to soldiers’ health.
The regime’s drug culture
Norman also covers the darker side. Dr. Theodor Morell gave Hitler a range of drugs, and Hitler came to depend on them. Stimulants ran through the Luftwaffe and the navy too.
Norman first joined us in Episode 8 (2024) to talk about psychedelics.
For us, the link to Boyd is tempo. Speed bought with a drug runs out, and the bill comes due in the people who carry it.
This episode is not medical advice.
Where is your organization buying speed at the expense of its people?
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