André Citroën was born to Jewish parents in 1878 in Paris, France. Inspired by books by Jules Verne and the three-year construction of the Eiffel Tower when he was a pre-teen, Andre was determined to become an engineer. In 1898, twenty-year-old André graduated from the prestigious École Polytechnique. He worked for the Mors automobile firm for six years, during which time he increased production from 125 cars per year to over 1,200. In July 1919, he founded the Citroën automobile company. By using mass production techniques, he built affordable, reliable cars for the masses and became the Henry Ford of Europe.
From April to October 1925, the Eiffel Tower was the centerpiece of the great Exhibition of Decorative and Industrial Arts. The Eiffel Tower’s chairman of the board offered several companies the right to have their company’s name illuminated in electric lights on the tower for a fee. André accepted and more than 200,000 light bulbs spelled out the name “Citroën.” It was the world’s largest advertising sign at the time, and André’s name was illuminated on the very object that sparked his interest in becoming an engineer. By the early 1930s, Citroën was the fourth largest car manufacturer in the world. André was constantly improving the design, safety, comfort, and most of all, the reliability of his cars. When André died in 1935 of stomach cancer, Pierre Boulanger became Citroën’s vice president and chief of the Engineering and Design department. Two years later, he became president of the company.
Then came World War II. In June 1940, Germany conquered France and occupied Paris. Adolph Hitler celebrated the victory by touring Paris and had his cameraman take a photo of him staring at the Eiffel Tower to use as propaganda. During the occupation, German leaders asked Pierre to have the Citroën factory build military trucks for the war machine and Pierre knew better than to refuse. Pierre had his workers build the trucks as slowly as possible but fast enough to avoid alerting the German overseers. The new Citroën military trucks rolled off the assembly line in perfect working order, but the engines in the Citroën trucks began seizing shortly thereafter. German mechanics disassembled the engines but could find no reason for the engines seizing up. All fluids in the engines were at their proper level and no parts showed excessive wear or damage. They could find no sign of sabotage. Pierre blamed the engine failures on the harsh wartime conditions and on the soldiers for not checking the fluids in the engines regularly. His factory kept building trucks for the Germans at a slow pace. We must remember that the French invented the word sabotage, and Pierre was certainly a saboteur. So, the next time you pull the dipstick out of your car’s engine to check the oil level, maybe you will think of Pierre. For that was his master blow against the German war machine. You see, those Citroën engines which were among the most reliable in Europe kept seizing because Pierre lowered the safe level mark on the dipsticks. It is amazing what a big difference a small alteration can make.
Sources:
1. Stephan Joest, “Remembering André Citroën: A Visionary Who Shaped France and the World,” Citroënvie!, July 3, 2025, accessed September 27, 2026, https://citroenvie.com/
2. “Citroën. 100 years of the Eiffel Tower illumination,” Citroënvie!, March 14, 2025, accessed September 27, 2026, https://citroenvie.com/
3. Henry Cesari, “French Motor-Heads Sabotaged the Nazi War Machine With…Oversized Dipsticks,” February 7, 2024, accessed September 27, 2026, https://www.motorbiscuit.com/
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