Military footwear
Military footwear
For as long as I can remember there have been problems associated with infantry boots/shoes. These ranged from the metal studs on the German soldier's boots transmitting the cold from the icy Russian snow and ice,though to the Tommie's boots melting in the heat of the Iraqi desert. Does anyone feel that ANY army has now perfected a sound design that can cope with most of the problems that have arisen ?
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phylo_roadking
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Re: Military footwear
STILL not the British!!! Their service issue desert boots are not well-regarded by soldiers serving in Iraq and Afgahnistan...instead they get Trapac desert boots sent out to them from home, or pick them up before they go. I've had a couple of pairs now, before I found out about that, and can confirm their comfort AND durability.
"Well, my days of not taking you seriously are certainly coming to a middle." - Malcolm Reynolds
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Paddy Keating
Re: Military footwear
The boots issued to airborne units by the Bundeswehr was always highly regarded by British paratroopers. Many blokes back in the 1980s and early 1990s wore them in the field. They're slightly different to standard BW combat boots. They were heavier than the British "Combat High" boots introduced in the early 1980s to a specification that essentially required that the price be low, as little as £16.00 a pair, resulting in all sorts of injuries and disorders amongst otherwise fit infantry soldiers.
Nobody who wore the BW-FJ boots minded the extra weight. It made little difference with all the other weight one was humping along. So I would say that they were the best boots - at that time - that I ever tried. Mind you, the so-called "Vietnam jungle boot" was pretty good in the summer months, especially in wet or marshy areas, as the drainholes and the pre-dominance of nylon as the upper material allowed the feet to dry quicker. None of them were cleared by the RAF for jumping but blind eyes were turned. One could usually get away with them in barracks but only if one had reasonable Senior NCOs, which wasn't always the case. However, never on 'proper' parades and never in Depot, unless you wanted to end up painting coal white or moving puddles about with your spoon.
A couple of years back, I did try out some good replicas of the WW1 German side-lace boots issued to airborne troops. They really weren't terribly comfortable once mud-encrusted and waterlogged. No wonder we see so many pictures of WW2 Fallschirmjäger wearing marschstiefel or mountain boots. Their Mk2 boots were a bit better but, again, the mountain boots trumped them in the field. However, FJ boots were highly prized when walking out, and side-lace versions were a sign that a man was a veteran of the early days. The German jump boots were certainly better than the Corcoran boots issued to US paras, although the latter certainly looked great. As for the poor old British Airborne soldiers of WW2, they had to make do with the 19th century Ammo boot, with its hobnails and low cut. Many of them had rubber soles fitted although it was against regulations. The Ammo boot was better than many armies' boots once worn in and as long as it was properly maintained. We had the DMS - Direct Moulded Sole - version before the truly dismal Combat Highs, and it was also alright, but did let in too much water. We wondered why the British Army did not simply upgrade the DMS by making the upper higher, like the classic 'jump boot'. The truth is that government wanted to pay less than they were paying so they fobbed the British soldier off with a new boot that looked great, allowed him to stand in puddles without getting wet feet immediately but failed to make the grade out in the field.
The problem with military boots in general is that the people who order them and the people who make them usually have very little experience of life in the field and the rigours of twenty-mile tabs across all sorts of rough terrain. Twas always so and twill always be so...
PK
Nobody who wore the BW-FJ boots minded the extra weight. It made little difference with all the other weight one was humping along. So I would say that they were the best boots - at that time - that I ever tried. Mind you, the so-called "Vietnam jungle boot" was pretty good in the summer months, especially in wet or marshy areas, as the drainholes and the pre-dominance of nylon as the upper material allowed the feet to dry quicker. None of them were cleared by the RAF for jumping but blind eyes were turned. One could usually get away with them in barracks but only if one had reasonable Senior NCOs, which wasn't always the case. However, never on 'proper' parades and never in Depot, unless you wanted to end up painting coal white or moving puddles about with your spoon.
A couple of years back, I did try out some good replicas of the WW1 German side-lace boots issued to airborne troops. They really weren't terribly comfortable once mud-encrusted and waterlogged. No wonder we see so many pictures of WW2 Fallschirmjäger wearing marschstiefel or mountain boots. Their Mk2 boots were a bit better but, again, the mountain boots trumped them in the field. However, FJ boots were highly prized when walking out, and side-lace versions were a sign that a man was a veteran of the early days. The German jump boots were certainly better than the Corcoran boots issued to US paras, although the latter certainly looked great. As for the poor old British Airborne soldiers of WW2, they had to make do with the 19th century Ammo boot, with its hobnails and low cut. Many of them had rubber soles fitted although it was against regulations. The Ammo boot was better than many armies' boots once worn in and as long as it was properly maintained. We had the DMS - Direct Moulded Sole - version before the truly dismal Combat Highs, and it was also alright, but did let in too much water. We wondered why the British Army did not simply upgrade the DMS by making the upper higher, like the classic 'jump boot'. The truth is that government wanted to pay less than they were paying so they fobbed the British soldier off with a new boot that looked great, allowed him to stand in puddles without getting wet feet immediately but failed to make the grade out in the field.
The problem with military boots in general is that the people who order them and the people who make them usually have very little experience of life in the field and the rigours of twenty-mile tabs across all sorts of rough terrain. Twas always so and twill always be so...
PK
Re: Military footwear
Why do this forum feature the "Save" button" BEFORE the "Sbmit" one ? I frequently find myself keying in this button and not the "Submit" one ! Thanks for your helpful replies, guys. I drafted a response to them but have lost it !
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Tom Houlihan
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Re: Military footwear
Sadly, that applies to more than just boots.Paddy Keating wrote:The problem with military boots in general is that the people who order them and the people who make them usually have very little experience of life in the field and the rigours of twenty-mile tabs across all sorts of rough terrain. Twas always so and twill always be so...