Performance enhancers and the military:
The new arms race

Story by Stephen J. Thorne

A global arms race is simmering, only this one does not involve robots, nuclear weapons, laser beams or other futuristic gadgets. Rather, these rivals are trying to outdo one another in an age-old quest to extend the limits of the human body.

Militaries around the world, Canada’s included, are testing supplements, stimulants and other performance-enhancing substances. Some—not Canada—are even considering using steroids and hormones to create so-called super-soldiers.

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Tank piercer

Story by Sharon Adams

Not all Panzer battles in the Second World War featured tanks duking it out or dodging artillery fire. Many of the big machines were destroyed by infantry. Ernest (Smokey) Smith’s Victoria Cross action at the Savio River in northern Italy in October 1944 began with him disabling a Panther from nine metres away with a Projector, Infantry, Anti-Tank (PIAT) weapon.

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June 12-13, 1944

Pilot Officer Andrew Mynarski’s aircraft is hit by enemy fire. Flying Officer Pat Brophy is trapped in the rear turret, so Mynarski ignores orders to abandon the aircraft and attempts but is unable to rescue Brophy. With his parachute and clothing in flames, Mynarski bails out. He is found by the French but later dies from the burns. Brophy survives the crash and Mynarski is awarded the Victoria Cross.

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