D-IX is a methamphetamine-based experimental performance enhancer developed by

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...

in 1944 for military application. The researcher who rediscovered this project, Wolf Kemper, said that "the aim was to use D-IX to redefine the limits of human endurance." One dose contained 5 mg

oxycodone Oxycodone, sold under various brand names such as Roxicodone and OxyContin (which is the extended release form), is a strong, semi-synthetic opioid used medically for treatment of moderate to severe pain. It is highly addictive and a commonly ...

(brand name Eukodal, an analgesic opioid), 5 mg

cocaine Cocaine (from , from , ultimately from Quechua: ''kúka'') is a central nervous system (CNS) stimulant mainly used recreationally for its euphoric effects. It is primarily obtained from the leaves of two Coca species native to South Ameri ...

, and 3 mg methamphetamine (brand name Pervitin). German doctors were enthusiastic about the results, and planned to supply all German troops with the pills, but the war ended before D-IX could be put into mass production, though it did see limited use among a handful of

Neger The ''Neger'' (German for ''Negro'') was a torpedo-carrying craft generally described as a human torpedo which could not submerge, but was difficult to see during night operations. The vessel was used by Nazi Germany's '' Kriegsmarine'' betwee ...

and Biber pilots.

History

Due to increased Allied pressure on the German war effort,

had grown desperate for more soldiers to continue the war effort, and one way to mitigate the massive losses was to increase the combative power of existing

Wehrmacht The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the ''Heer'' (army), the '' Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmacht''" replaced the previo ...

soldiers. Though simpler drugs, such as

Pervitin Methamphetamine (contracted from ) is a potent central nervous system (CNS) stimulant that is mainly used as a recreational drug use, recreational drug and less commonly as a second-line treatment for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder ...

and

Isophan Methamphetamine (contracted from ) is a potent central nervous system (CNS) stimulant that is mainly used as a recreational drug and less commonly as a second-line treatment for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and obesity. Methamphe ...

, helped to keep soldiers stimulated, in March 1944, Vice Admiral

Hellmuth Heye Hellmuth Guido Alexander Heye (9 August 1895 – 10 November 1970) was a German admiral in World War II and politician in post-war Germany. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross of Nazi Germany. Naval career Heye graduated ...

requested a drug that could also give users

superhuman strength Superhuman strength is a superpower commonly invoked in fiction and other literary works such as mythology. A fictionalized representation of the phenomenon of hysterical strength, it is the power to exert force and lift weights beyond what is ph ...

and a boosted sense of self-esteem. Pharmacologist , and a group of other researchers, were commissioned to develop the drug in

Kiel Kiel () is the capital and most populous city in the northern German state of Schleswig-Holstein, with a population of 246,243 (2021). Kiel lies approximately north of Hamburg. Due to its geographic location in the southeast of the Jutland ...

and, by later that year, had developed a formula which contained, in each tablet, 5 mg of

(brand name

Eukodal Oxycodone, sold under various brand names such as Roxicodone and OxyContin (which is the extended release form), is a strong, semi-synthetic opioid used medically for treatment of moderate to severe pain. It is highly addictive and a commonly ...

), 5 mg of

, and 3 mg of methamphetamine (then called

, now available under the brand name Desoxyn).Paterson, Lawrence (2006). ''Weapons of Desperation: German Frogmen and Midget Submarines of World War II''. Chatham Publishing. p. 16. . Nazi researchers found that equipment-laden prisoners from the

Sachsenhausen concentration camp Sachsenhausen () or Sachsenhausen-Oranienburg was a German Nazi concentration camp in Oranienburg, Germany, used from 1936 until April 1945, shortly before the defeat of Nazi Germany in May later that year. It mainly held political prisoner ...

could march for up to a day without rest, while carrying a backpack.

References

1944 introductions German inventions of the Nazi period Psychoactive drugs and the military Stimulants Cocaine Methamphetamine {{nervous-system-drug-stub

History

See also

References