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WW2 Airborne question.


Jack

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Just Finished Don Burgett book Carrahee.

 

In there he states that they were order to take 9 pills at half hour intervals - supposedly for air sickness and it was, an order.

 

Like he said, why would we need them as we have been jumping out of planes for years and have never been sick.

 

Could some tell me if there was an alterative motive for this? I know the native American and the Africans would take 'drugs' before a battle...

 

Was this for the same reason?

Is Gulf war syndrome another case?

Were our Paratroopers ordered to take 'sickness pills'?

 

Many thanks

 

 

Jack.

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A number of para's have admitted to falling asleep after landing , they put this down to the effect of the anti sickness pills so I doubt that the pills taken were intended to fire them up.

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Hi Jack,

 

As far as I know only US Servicemen were issued these, including the troops invading from the sea, they were intended to prevent motion sickness (sea sickness/air sickness) as the hierarchy wanted to be sure that their men landed in a good state. Unfortunately these pills didn;t work, many men were sick due to nerves and the sound of Flak in the distance as well as the rolling and climbing of the aircraft as their pilots frantically tried to avoid colliding and being hit by ground fire.

 

The effect on some was that the pills made them feel drowsy and tired, much the same as modern sea sickness pills do, some troopers were so affected that they crawled into a hedgerow or ditch and went to sleep for the first few hours of D-Day!

 

As far as I am aware there no connections with the effects of 1940's motiuon sickness pills and the "NAPS" Tablets given to troops in the first Gulf War, NAPS were to be taken daily as an attempt to combat the effects of nerve agents which were suspected may be used by the enemy at the time. The cause of GWS is unknown, maybe some chemicals in the air on certain parts of the battle area caused by exploding Iraqi munitions, depleted uranium in Allied Tank Shells, or maybe side effects of NAPS Tablet, who knows?

 

Steve

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