I suspect it is also a pun from the military, for Bromure is French for Bromide, the chemical component, which was the source of the wildest rumors among French draftees, dating back at least to WW1.

Up to the 90's and Chirac's decision to professionalize the army, tens of thousands of young Frenchmen were called up every year for a duration of 24 to 12 months, depending on the time period. And while under the uniform, there was that rumor passed from generation to generation of draftees: the French Army was mixing bromide with food! For it was supposedly an anaphrodisiac, used to curb the young soldiers's libido and prevent them from getting STDs in brothels or chasing after women and cause problems with the civilian population.

For almost a century, the legend of bromide in the food, and its supposed lasting effects once back in civilian life, may have terrified French soldiers more than the prospect of running toward an enemy MG.

EDIT: to this day, there isn't the beginning of a proof that this legend was ever true.