Elastolin French Poilu soldiers 🇫🇷🇫🇷🇫🇷⚔️⚔️⚔️

Poilu is an informal term for a late 18th century–early 20th century French infantryman, meaning, literally, the hairy one. It is still widely used as a term of endearment for the French infantry of World War I. The word carries the sense of the infantryman's typically rustic, agricultural background, and derives from the bushy moustaches and other facial hair affected by many French soldiers after the outbreak of the war as a sign of masculinity. The Poilu was particularly known for his love of pinard, his ration of cheap wine. The image of the dogged, bearded French soldier was widely used in propaganda and war memorials.The stereotype of the Poilu was of bravery and endurance, but not always of unquestioning obedience. These WW1 French infantry soldiers were produced by Elastolin in 30s. These particular composition soldiers were presented with and without knapsacks.