During WW2 the Traction was much loved, first by the French army, then the occupying Nazis (who typically preferred the Traction over their German vehicles) and took it as far as Norway and the Soviet front.
In France, the Citroën Traction Avant was both a symbol of horror and hope. If you were a member of the French Resistance, or even just a French citizen living on edge during the Nazi occupation, seeing a black Traction Avant nosing down your street at night was cause for fear.
During the German occupation of France, the Gestapo confiscated dozens of cars; people regularly disappeared into the back of Tractions at night, never to be seen again.
