If I am not mistaken the British were heavy on drug use as well during WWII. I cannot remember the drug they were using but apparently at El-Alamein they suffered 80% Casualty rates because the men kept pushing on because it completely hindered their judgement for danger.
Yeah, the usage in the Allies was largely amphetamines, usually as “go-pills” for fighter pilots, for air crew on long-distance flights, and for sentries, but during El-Alamein, tankers were issued double the dosage normally issued to pilots for alertness. The Nazis produced about as many methamphetamine tablets in the first year of the war as the Brits did amphetamine tablets through all six years.
One of the big things with amphetamines in general is that it reduces the sensation of physical fatigue more than it reduces the effects. So you can keep going in terms of motivation like nothing is wrong, even as your ACTUAL performance degrades. You feel almost perfectly fine, but your motor skills and situational awareness end up in the trash.
Obviously, this is not fantastic for judging whether you’re alert enough to be tangling with enemy armor after an already-long day of fighting.
What documentary was it? It’s the first I’ve about high casualty rates due to amphetamine use, and El-Alamein was supposed to be a fairly successful battle for the Allies.
If I am not mistaken the British were heavy on drug use as well during WWII. I cannot remember the drug they were using but apparently at El-Alamein they suffered 80% Casualty rates because the men kept pushing on because it completely hindered their judgement for danger.
Yeah, the usage in the Allies was largely amphetamines, usually as “go-pills” for fighter pilots, for air crew on long-distance flights, and for sentries, but during El-Alamein, tankers were issued double the dosage normally issued to pilots for alertness. The Nazis produced about as many methamphetamine tablets in the first year of the war as the Brits did amphetamine tablets through all six years.
One of the big things with amphetamines in general is that it reduces the sensation of physical fatigue more than it reduces the effects. So you can keep going in terms of motivation like nothing is wrong, even as your ACTUAL performance degrades. You feel almost perfectly fine, but your motor skills and situational awareness end up in the trash.
Obviously, this is not fantastic for judging whether you’re alert enough to be tangling with enemy armor after an already-long day of fighting.
that’s exactly the one I just saw a documentary the other day about it!
What documentary was it? It’s the first I’ve about high casualty rates due to amphetamine use, and El-Alamein was supposed to be a fairly successful battle for the Allies.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1S4CbHMZrps
It is a French YouTuber, the title is “The dark History of drugs”