Crystal meth helped Germans in war

OPINION:

Recent reports have revealed that “study drugs” are now widely used by students in British universities. This is unfortunately nothing new. The use of methamphetamine (a.k.a. crystal meth) was prevalent among German troops during World War II. It was issued in a pill form, known as Pervitin. The British became aware of this practice when they studied Germany’s astonishingly successful invasion through the Ardennes in 1940, when German soldiers remained awake for days and stormed across France to the Channel.

Developed by Temmler, it was being sold across the counter in Germany in 1938. Its use by the Wehrmacht was the result of the research of the military doctor Otto Ranke on college students. The U.S. equivalent, Benzedrine, had been used by American students in the 1930s to stay awake. Britain imported it from 1941 and it was used by all three British services.

Benzedrine use in U.K. campuses came with returning servicemen, but there is no evidence it improved their ability to study. By the 1950s, the dangers of addiction led to a marked drop in its use. It rose again with the vast increase in students after 1970, many of whom, like the ex-servicemen, felt out of their depth and wanted an aid to help them compete.

JOHN CAMERON

St. Andrews, United Kingdom