RE: PROBLEM: "git pull -v" fails with exit code denoting a submodule syntax error

>I expected "git pull -v" to simply work and exit correctly without telling me the
>syntax of "git submodule".
>
>What happened instead? (Actual behavior)
>
>This:
>> From gitlab.ops.oce.net:nemmaiec/cpposa
>> = [up to date]      develop/1.0 -> origin/develop/1.0
>> Already up to date.
>> usage: git submodule [--quiet] [--cached]
>>    or: git submodule [--quiet] add [-b <branch>] [-f|--force] [--name <name>] [--
>reference <repository>] [--] <repository> [<path>]
>>    or: git submodule [--quiet] status [--cached] [--recursive] [--] [<path>...]
>>    or: git submodule [--quiet] init [--] [<path>...]
>>    or: git submodule [--quiet] deinit [-f|--force] (--all| [--] <path>...)
>>    or: git submodule [--quiet] update [--init [--filter=<filter-spec>]] [--remote] [-
>N|--no-fetch] [-f|--force] [--checkout|--merge|--rebase] [--[no-]recommend-
>shallow] [--reference <repository>] [--recursive] [--[no-]single-branch] [--]
>[<path>...]
>>    or: git submodule [--quiet] set-branch (--default|--branch <branch>) [--]
><path>
>>    or: git submodule [--quiet] set-url [--] <path> <newurl>
>>    or: git submodule [--quiet] summary [--cached|--files] [--summary-limit <n>]
>[commit] [--] [<path>...]
>>    or: git submodule [--quiet] foreach [--recursive] <command>
>>    or: git submodule [--quiet] sync [--recursive] [--] [<path>...]
>>    or: git submodule [--quiet] absorbgitdirs [--] [<path>...]
>
>What's different between what you expected and what actually happened?
>
>The text I quoted above, and an exit with error code.
>
>Anything else you want to add:
>
>The '-v' parameter is used by TortoiseGit and GitExtensions, which now both croak
>on pulling.