Re: Use of alcohol and drugs by aircrew?
 

Just reread Macky Steinhoff's "Straits of Messina" he talks about taking a few tablets of Pervitin in one go during a transit flight and being grounded for a day by the Wing Doctor when he landed.

Re: Use of alcohol and drugs by aircrew?
 

Neil Page wrote about this on his Falke Eins blog a few years ago: http://falkeeins.blogspot.com/2016/1...d-alcohol.html

Pervitin (methamphetamine) was standard in aircrew survival packs in the Battle Of Britain. In Summer 1940 the Luftwaffe was also busy distributing 2,500,000 bottle of champagne amongst the Luftflotten and the RLM. I'll have something about both these things on a future update to my website.

Re: Use of alcohol and drugs by aircrew?
 

Many thanks, guys

There are a number of accounts that suggest many Soviet pilots had a quick swig of strong vodka as they departed for battle. I couldn't blame them!

i look forward to your piece, Nick.

Stay safe
Brian

Re: Use of alcohol and drugs by aircrew?
 

BCRS v4 has: German ace Hans Assi Hann having one drink too many on the day he was shot down.
VVS pilots getting 100 grams of vodka for each kill , the field ration.
The 18 GIAP under Stalin's son Vasly parting hard

There is also the case of a RAF pilot shoe down in the sea during the Dieppe raid who took all his bezedrine pills at once and was soon rescued and came down 2 days later.

Some german NJG pilots did use Pervin from what I have read

Re: Use of alcohol and drugs by aircrew?
 

men and women of the RAF in England liked to visit pubs. On the night of 26/27 Apr 1941 one was hit by a bomb and a few men of 222 Squadron were KIA including F/Lt B Van Mentz. this is from the Foreman 1941 book and the book "Fly For Your Life"

Re: Use of alcohol and drugs by aircrew?
 

Alcohol abuse was widespread in Luftwaffe units, especially late war.

Re: Use of alcohol and drugs by aircrew?
 

Heavy drinking was common among Russian officers pre-WW I . I understand there was a lot of drug use opium, MJ, and cocaine in Russia during the WW I period.

Herman Goring was a drug addict do to his WW I wounds

WW I German ace Ernst Frieherr Von Athaus was a heroin user according to some accounts.

Re: Use of alcohol and drugs by aircrew?
 

An overview of the use of Pervitin among the military and civilians.


https://thesecuritydistillery.org/al...are-in-1939-45

Re: Use of alcohol and drugs by aircrew?
 

Neville Duke's war diaries certainly show an affection and a culture for drinking. Both in Britain in 1941 and later in the Middle East he hits the booze every moment he can, always in the company of other pilots, both with his squadron and on leave. Tony Bartley admits he was drinking a bottle of whisky a day in 1943 before finally being taken off ops.

Re: Use of alcohol and drugs by aircrew?
 

I was examining the 1942 diaries for 2/48th Battalion (9th Australian Division) recently and found mention of the court martial of a chap for possession of hashish.

No doubt other servicemen, including aircrew, dabbled during their time in the Middle East.