
A brief history of battlefield boozing - pepys
https://life.spectator.co.uk/2017/11/a-brief-history-of-battlefield-boozing/
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DavidAdams
Article mentions that Hitler didn't drink alcohol, but he sure was a speed
freak and took a lot of other drugs. Also worth mentioning that the Axis and
Allied sides both utilized amphetamines heavily during the war.

I think that alcohol use on the battlefield has declined largely because in
modern warfare, the kind of impairment that you get from alcohol is a huge
liability, but the kind of edge that a driver or pilot can potentially get
from a strong stimulant can really benefit the effort.

Edit: [https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/3bjp4y/total-
intoxication...](https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/3bjp4y/total-intoxication-
nazi-use-of-meth-876)

[https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2377281/](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2377281/)

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hoppelhase
Never heard that the allied side also did that. All they tell you in Germany
is that the Nazis did it. There are some documentaries on German public
television about that.

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mseebach
Amphetamines were in common civil use, available over the counter and only
restricted in the US in the 70s. They were in diet pills and pep pills etc.
You grandparents may very well have taken amphetamines at some point in their
lives.

But no, not commonly part of the narrative. Remember, drugs are literally
Hitler.

[https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_and_culture_of_subst...](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_and_culture_of_substituted_amphetamines)

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rdtsc
Well ISIS fighters don't drink but apparently are fond of Captagon
[https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2015/11/19...](https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2015/11/19/the-
tiny-pill-fueling-syrias-war-and-turning-fighters-into-super-human-soldiers/)
which is a meth like drug developed in the 60's:
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fenethylline](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fenethylline)

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fapjacks
Alcohol in modern battlefield contexts is still a consideration. For Western
military forces (especially American), alcohol is forbidden in warzones. It's
considered contraband and is confiscated from inbound mail. But soldiers do
_often_ buy alcohol from locals, get it smuggled in through the mail, or -- as
I did once -- make it like prison pruno. In addition, some warzones are
different than others. For example, since there aren't really any regular
(American) Army units in the Philippines, only Special Forces (et al), there
aren't restrictions on alcohol like there are in other places. Very
interesting and unique being in a warzone where alcohol use was sanctioned by
commanders. On the one hand I understand why it's restricted, but on the other
hand, in my experience, most folks can handle some amount of alcohol in their
lives on tour. I guess the military's playing a numbers game and they take
zero chances. Officially, at least.

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walshemj
Until fairly recently alcohol also helped with the problem of contaminated
water causing massive casualties eg more died through disease during the
napolionic wars than through firefights.

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craftyguy
I've heard this several times, but have yet to see a credible source for the
claim that 'everyone drank alcohol because it was safer than water.'

Alcohol is a diuretic, if that was all you drank, you'd succumb to
dehydration.

~~~
mercer
I wish I could find the link now, but there was a very interesting (and, based
on my admittedly rudimentary knowledge of history, high quality) thread on
reddit's /r/askHistorians that dispelled this 'myth'.

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boomboomsubban
It's strange that it doesn't mention alcohol's ability to lower inhibitions.
Getting over people's natural reluctance to kill has been a serious issue for
gun based combat, and alcohol is a cheap way to help with that. It's downturn
is likely the lack of the draft and the military using people that already
have lower inhibitions on the front lines.

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potta_coffee
Modern training techniques and technology also have a lot to do with lowered
inhibitions to killing, at least as far as I understand after reading
Grossman's "On Killing".

~~~
ryanmarsh
I disagree. To kill is natural. Basic training is just finishing school.

Just a few centuries ago beheadings, blood feuds, lynch mobs and such were
commonplace.

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sorokod
Well, dying is natural too. Saying that something is natural doesn't make it
desirable.

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scott_s
If you find this topic interesting, I suggest reading "Drink: A Cultural
History of Alcohol" by Iain Gately. It's a breezy history of western
civilization through the lens of alcohol.

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underbluewaters
Drinking fermented beverages is a sure way to avoid water borne disease, and
keeping your forces healthy was _the_ determining factor in these historical
contexts.

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peterwwillis
The only time alcohol was even remotely used to keep people healthy was when
lime was in it. The "cleaner water" theory is bunk.

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walshemj
err no a quick google will find many military forces destroyed by disease in
the pre modern era one of the sieges of Malta for example

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hackermailman
Mas Des Tourelles in Southern France makes 'Genuine Roman Wine' if anybody
lives in the EU and is interested [http://tourelles.com/site-archeologique-et-
cave-gallo-romain...](http://tourelles.com/site-archeologique-et-cave-gallo-
romaine/) unsure if they ship to N. America.

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amelius
I wonder what would happen if you'd dump a billion shots of LSD onto a war
zone. Would the fighting stop?

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grkvlt
Apparently not. The US military investigated this pretty thoroughly, in fact!

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duncan-donuts
I don't have much to add other than I really enjoyed reading this.

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fergie
Me neither, other than that I am very glad that the Spectator continues to
survive

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Morizero
Nice read but doesn't mention much about the modern decline of battlefield
drinking. My understanding is that it's due to deployed women being at high
risk of assault from a fellow soldier when alcohol is involved, but I've never
really read a comprehensive analysis about it.

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33W
Or the modern instances of battlefield drinking - there's many tricks for
circumventing the prohibition on alcohol in current warzones.

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potta_coffee
Sure, there's always mouthwash.

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QAPereo
Haha, try engine degreaser.

