historymemes

125 readers

410 users here now

A place to share history memes!

Rules:

No sexism, racism, homophobia, transphobia, assorted bigotry, etc.
No fascism (including tankies/red fash), atrocity denial or apologia, etc.
Tag NSFW pics as NSFW.
Follow all FAF rules.
History referenced must be 20+ years old.
Avoid posting AI-generated content whenever possible.

OTHER COMMS IN THE HISTORYVERSE:

founded 4 days ago

MODERATORS

CobraCommander@quokk.au

135

Purrvitin (quokk.au)

submitted 2 days ago by CobraCommander@quokk.au to c/historymemes@quokk.au

7 comments fedilink hide all child comments

Context: In 1938 Nazi Germany, Pervitin was developed a methamphetamine drug for civilian usage. Nazi military doctor Otto Friedrich Ranke tested the drug on 90 university students to study its effects, which led him to conclude that Pervitin could help Nazi Germany win the war.

Methamphetamine use is believed to have played a role in the speed of Nazi Germany's initial blitzkrieg operations. At the request of Vice-Admiral Hellmuth Heye for a stronger pill that would "keep soldiers ready for battle when they are asked to continue fighting beyond a period considered normal," a pharmacologist produced a pill dubbed D-IX. The new drug contained cocaine, whose effects substantially overlap with those of amphetamine but feature greater euphoria, and a morphine-based painkiller in addition to Pervitin.

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments

[–] Godric@lemmy.world 3 points 16 hours ago* (last edited 16 hours ago)

Reminds me of Aimo Koivunen, the first recorded Meth OD in combat

Koivunen was a Finnish soldier, assigned to a ski patrol on 15 March 1944 along with several other Finnish soldiers. Three days into their mission on 18 March, the group was attacked and surrounded by Soviet forces, from whom they were able to escape.[3] Koivunen became fatigued after skiing for a long distance but could not stop.

He was carrying his patrol's entire supply of army-issued Pervitin, or methamphetamine, a stimulant used to remain awake while on duty.[4] He consumed the entire supply of Pervitin, and had a short burst of energy, but soon entered a state of delirium and eventually lost consciousness. Koivunen later recalled waking up the following morning, separated from his patrol and having no supplies.

In the following days, Koivunen escaped Soviet forces once again, was injured by a land mine, and stayed in a ditch for a week, waiting for help. In the week that he was gone, he subsisted only on pine buds and a single Siberian jay that he caught and ate raw.

Having skied more than 400 km (250 mi), he was later found and admitted to a nearby hospital, where his heart rate was measured at 200 beats per minute, and he weighed only 43 kg (95 lb).