The Nazis projected an image of themselves as combatants against moral decay. However, in the pages of Norman Ohler's enthralling bestseller, a different reality emerges: the entire Third Reich was awash with narcotics. Cocaine, heroin, morphine, and, most notably, methamphetamines, commonly known as crystal meth, permeated every level of society, from factory laborers to homemakers, and played a pivotal role for troops, enhancing their endurance—perhaps even contributing to Germany's triumph in 1940.
The widespread and indiscriminate use of drugs reached the upper echelons of power, clouding judgment and fostering confusion in decision-making. Even Hitler and his inner circle sought solace in hazardous concoctions of stimulants, administered by the physician Dr. Morell, as the tides of war turned against Germany. While it's important to recognize that drugs alone cannot fully account for the complexities of the Second World War or its ultimate outcome, Ohler compellingly demonstrates how they reshape our understanding of this historical epoch. "Blitzed" stands as an essential piece of the puzzle that has been missing, shedding new light on a critical facet of the narrative.
