Does anyone remember the film - one of Formby's early 'Service' films (late 1939/early 1940*), that featured the song "Down on the Maginot Line" (below), It seemed to catch the mix of bravado and confidence that appears typical of that 'pre-contact' period**

IMAGINE ME IN THE MAGINOT LINE

You should see me out in France wearing my tin hat.
Midst shot and shell it's worse than..! Well it's even worse than that.

Now imagine me on the Maginot Line, sitting on a mine in the Maginot line.
Now it's turned out nice again, the army life is fine.

French girls make a fuss of me; I'm not French as you can see
But I know what they mean when they say 'Oui, Oui', down on the Maginot line.

Now imagine me in the Maginot line, sitting on a mine in the Maginot line
Now it's turned out nice again, the army life is fine.

The enemy we had to chase, but my gun got out of place.
I went and shot the colonel in the base, down on the Maginot line.

Now imagine me in the Maginot line, sitting on a mine in the Maginot line.
Now it's turned out nice again, the army life is fine.

At night myself to sleep I sing, to my old tin hat I cling.
I have to use it for everything, down on the Maginot line.

Now imagine me in the Maginot line, sitting on a mine in the Maginot line
Now it's turned out nice again, the army life is fine

Suddenly a pain I felt. A doctor on my tummy knelt.
He slapped a poultice underneath my belt, right on the Maginot line.

Now imagine me in the Maginot line, sitting on a mine in the Maginot line
Now it's turned out nice again, the army life is fine.

Hitler can't kid us a lot. His secret weapon's 'tommyrot"
You ought to see what the sergeant's got, down on the Maginot line, down on the Maginot line.

Can anyone help?

Walrus.

* Certainly from the 'Phoney War'/'Sitzkrieg' period.
** The Allies were preparing to re-fight the Great War and were prepared for the defence, unfortunately, not for defence against Blitzkrieg.