Word of the day

Service – the occupation or function of serving; employment as a servant; work done for others as an occupation or business; the work performed by one who serves;  the performance of work or duties for a superior or as a servant;  contribution to the welfare of others; disposal for use;  and act of assistance or benefit; a favour; assistance, help, use, benefit; a form followed in worship or in a religious ceremony; a meeting for worship; the act of serving; a helpful act useful labour that does not produce a tangible commodity; the serving of food or the manner in which it is served; a set of dishes or utensils; a set of articles for a particular use; the armed forces of a nation;  an administrative division of one of a nation’s military forces (such as the army or navy); a facility supplying some public demand;  a facility providing maintenance and repair; the materials (such as spun yarn, small lines, or canvas) used for serving a rope; the act of bringing a legal writ, process, or summons to notice as prescribed by law; the act of a male animal copulating with a female animal; a branch of a hospital medical staff devoted to a particular specialty;  to perform services for;  to repair or provide maintenance for; to meet interest and sinking fund payments on;  to perform any of the business functions auxiliary to production or distribution of; of or relating to the armed services; used in serving or supplying; intended for hard or everyday use; providing services. 

Rural round-up

#standatdawn @TheCountry @TheMusterShow pic.twitter.com/Qi7YdtqLDU

— Dean Rabbidge 🧢🐑🐄🦌🐂🏉🚜 (@deanrabbidge) April 23, 2021

Very special to be up on a hill this morning above the Canterbury Plains to see a WW1 Veteran Krupp fieldgun fire a 3 round salute at dawn by it’s guardian. #LestWeForget pic.twitter.com/h9HPyfDLC0

— Duncan Humm (@duncanyzf20) April 24, 2021

Marching on meth

Armies are said to march on their stomachs, but in World War II armies marched on methamphetamine:

In The Art of War, Sun Tzu wrote that speed is “the essence of war.” While he of course did not have amphetamines in mind, he would no doubt have been impressed by their powerful war-facilitating psychoactive effects. Amphetamines—often called “pep pills,” “go pills,” “uppers” or “speed”—are a group of synthetic drugs that stimulate the central nervous system, reducing fatigue and appetite and increasing wakefulness and a sense of well-being. The quintessential drug of the modern industrial age, amphetamines arrived relatively late in the history of mind-altering substances—commercialized just in time for mass consumption during World War II by the leading industrial powers. That war was not only the most destructive war in human history but also the most pharmacologically enhanced. It was literally sped up by speed. . . 

Japanese, American and British forces consumed large amounts of amphetamines, but the Germans were the most enthusiastic early adopters, pioneering pill-popping on the battlefield during the initial phases of the war. . . 

While other drugs were banned or discouraged, methamphetamine was touted as a miracle product when it appeared on the market in the late 1930s. Indeed, the little pill was the perfect Nazi drug: “Germany, awake!” the Nazis had commanded. Energizing and confidence boosting, methamphetamine played into the Third Reich’s obsession with physical and mental superiority. In sharp contrast to drugs such as heroin or alcohol, methamphetamines were not about escapist pleasure. Rather, they were taken for hyper-alertness and vigilance. Aryans, who were the embodiment of human perfection in Nazi ideology, could now even aspire to be superhuman—and such superhumans could be turned into supersoldiers. “We don’t need weak people,” Hitler declared, “we want only the strong!” Weak people took drugs such as opium to escape; strong people took methamphetamine to feel even stronger. . .

Amid growing worries about the addictive potential and negative side effects of overusing the drug, the German military began to cut back on allocations of methamphetamines by the end of 1940. Consumption declined sharply in 1941 and 1942, when the medical establishment formally acknowledged that amphetamines were addictive.

Nevertheless, the drug continued to be dispensed on both the western and eastern fronts. Temmler-Wenke, the maker of the drug, remained as profitable as ever, despite rising awareness of the negative health effects.

Could this be why the German army did so well in the early stages of WWII, but ran out of steam later on?

The Battle of El Alamein

The Battle of El Alamein.

My father took part in this battle with the 20th Battalion.

Sunday soapbox

Sunday’s soapbox is yours to use as you will – within the bounds of decency and absence of defamation. You’re welcome to look back or forward, discuss issues of the moment, to pontificate, ponder or point us to something of interest, to educate, elucidate or entertain, amuse, bemuse or simply muse, but not abuse.