Diedenhofen — the German name for Thionville — was one of the most heavily fortified positions on the Franco-German frontier, its ring of forts rebuilt and expanded after 1870 specifically to anchor the Moselle defensive line. By 1917, with the Western Front consuming men and materiel at a catastrophic rate, even garrison and municipal institutions were issuing their own notgeld as the imperial coinage supply dried up. This piece was struck for the fortress fire brigade — a paramilitary unit responsible for fire suppression across the fort complex and its surrounding military infrastructure.
Zinc was the wartime compromise material once copper and nickel were fully redirected to armaments production.
Diedenhofen — the German name for Thionville — was one of the most heavily fortified positions on the Franco-German frontier, its ring of forts rebuilt and expanded after 1870 specifically to anchor the Moselle defensive line. By 1917, with the Western Front consuming men and materiel at a catastrophic rate, even garrison and municipal institutions were issuing their own notgeld as the imperial coinage supply dried up. This piece was struck for the fortress fire brigade — a paramilitary unit responsible for fire suppression across the fort complex and its surrounding military infrastructure.
Zinc was the wartime compromise material once copper and nickel were fully redirected to armaments production.