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Blitzed cover art

Blitzed

By: Norman Ohler, Shaun Whiteside - translator
Narrated by: Jonathan Keeble
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Summary

The Nazis presented themselves as warriors against moral degeneracy. Yet, as Norman Ohler's gripping best seller reveals, the entire Third Reich was permeated with drugs: cocaine, heroin, morphine and, most of all, methamphetamines, or crystal meth, used by everyone from factory workers to housewives, and crucial to troops; resilience - even partly explaining German victory in 1940.

The promiscuous use of drugs at the very highest levels also impaired and confused decision-making, with Hitler and his entourage taking refuge in potentially lethal cocktails of stimulants administered by the physician Dr Morell as the war turned against Germany. While drugs cannot on their own explain the events of the Second World War or its outcome, Ohler shows, they change our understanding of it. Blitzed forms a crucial missing piece of the story.

©2016 Norman Ohler (P)2016 Penguin Audio
  • Unabridged Audiobook
  • Categories: History

Critic reviews

"Bursting with interesting facts." ( Vice)
"Extremely interesting...a serious piece of scholarship, very well researched." (Ian Kershaw)

What listeners say about Blitzed

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Illuminating

It does not justify the horrible disgusting things Hitler and the Nazis did but it explains many things. Worth a read.

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5 people found this helpful

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very interesting

fascinating aspect of history not much reported on. becomes a little bit repetitive over the course of the book but overall very good

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3 people found this helpful

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Very illuminating.

Well researched and serious history of the overlooked role of pharmacology in the 3rd Reich

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2 people found this helpful

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Unbelievable ending made me doubt the rest

I don't believe Hitler and his henchmen couldn't lay their hands in any drugs they wanted, nor do I believe the Americans released someone with the knowledge Morrell had onto the street and dies in hospital. the fact us his knowledge of the medical doping and Hitlers meetings would make him invaluable

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1 person found this helpful

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    2 out of 5 stars
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Hitler was a massive cokehead

Starts off interesting but second half is very repetitive. Only so many times you can hear about hitler taking another massive hit of cocaine or meth

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Short. well researched and fascinating.

Who would have thought that the Wehrmacht may
owe it's oft touted fighting prowess and tenacity in the earlier
parts of the war to drugs like speed and other 'uppers'.
As a long-term reader of WW2 history this put an interesting retrospective slant
on key events such as the invasion of France and the
Blitzkrieg and offered some interesting speculation about
the causes of Hitler's grand delusions towards the end of
the War. It seems he was high on opiates and other stimulants
most of the time as were many other key figures. His
crazed optimism and denial of reality seem to take on a new slant
in light of the author's research into his addictions that were serviced by Dr Morell.
It's an interesting and short book that any WW2 buff should enjoy.

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Fascinating

A fascinating glimpse into a history within a history and with excellent narration. The sense of mania is palpable.

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Most Interesting book

I really enjoyed it as there was lots of new information for me however I read it more than listened due to the narration. Now don’t get me wrong keeble has a very pleasant voice of his own but he uses the same angry, gravelly voice for every single character of every single book he narrates and after listening to a few it began to really irritate me.

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  • Overall
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it's a must read

a lot of mysteries about actions during the second world war are resolved with this book

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Untold dramatic history revealed

A powerful, engrossing, dramatical telling of the little known drug fuelled journey into the horror, that is the Nazis, Hitler and the Second World War

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