Unknown boots? Private purchase?

[Brad McDaniel]

If anyone knows what these are or possibly time frame, I would appreciate any info. They have all leather heels and soles with hob nails and some of the regular nails (repair?) in the soles appear to be brass(?). If that makes any sense. Thanks for the help.

[DennyB]

The nails appear to be steel from what I can see. These are interesting, I have never seen anything like these.
Denny

[Brad McDaniel]

Yes, the hob nails are steel.

[Brad McDaniel]

Any guesses from anyone?

[Luciusdegeer]

Brad,

I saw the very same boots today on a flea market in a big city nearby my home. Other hobnails (square), no heel irons but more hobnails in a circle around the edge of the heel. They were in a metal chest with boy scouts equipment: a modified British 'Bergham' rucksack (with restiched M 1944 US Army suspenders), some cooking utensils and some more civilian camping stuff, everything clearly post-war. I left the boots there...
When you look closer, you will notice that some of the hardware on your boots (hooks and eyelets for laces, buckles, etc.) are in chromed brass. Both metals were very scarce in Germany during the war, and from the mid-thirties on classed as 'strategic materials'. Few manufacturers used these for civilian boots, although there are examples of all kinds of goods that are made out of some of these 'strategic materials' (juwels, some home utensils, etc.). Probably these brass etc. pieces were just from old stocks that were used up. After that most of the hardware on shoes (for example) were made out of steel. It's possible that these boots were made in Germany before the war, but almost certainly NOT during the war.
I read your post yesterday, so I immediately looked for the markings on the inside when I found them today. Same digit markings, but nowhere the size was to be found... Not on the inside (inner sole), nor on the outside (between sole and heel). Look closely to your boots: do they have size markings? I see from your pictures that there is a '27' at the end of the digit marking. This seems to be a German shoe size. Aren't there any markings under the shoe, near the heel? These boots leave me puzzled, I can tell you... I wonder if I'd goback tomorrow to that flea market? In any case, the boots are not military

Greetings,

Lucius

[Brad McDaniel]

Nothing else on the inside. All leather inside to include the inside foot sole's and the heel bed. The eyelets and tabs are def. silver in color, not sure if there is brass under there, but they have some, not much, corrosion and some rust on them. Would brass rust? I wear a U.S. size 9- 9 1/2 and these fit me perfectly. So I would assume that they are an adult male boot. I think it just adds credit to the assumption that these were not issued military boots, obviously, but private purchase boots. I can tell you that they were purchased from a seller in Germany in 2001.

[John H]

The OP referred to "regular nails" as being brass, not the hobnails. I can see some small nails in the sole which are apparently brass.

Could they be HitlerJugend boots? That's not my area of expertise, but I've seen very similar boots sold as HJ, with the same colour leather and quality of manufacture. There were lots of privately purchased HJ boots made.

Someone should notify any resident HJ equipment experts of this thread.

[Garry M.]

The HJ wore a large variety of footwear and there was no particular boot or shoe that was specifically prescribed for use by its general members. There were boots sold by the RZM for young people but there were no regulations as far as I am aware that forced the HJ to wear them. I have read that a regulation existed which forbade the wearing of shoes with a sandal-type closure but other than that the HJ wore shoes/boots which suited the rigours of life in the HJ. If the boot shown is period then all I think you can say is that it could have been worn by a HJ member. You could say that however of any period sturdy boot.

Here's a picture dated 1942 which shows the variety of footwear in use (in this case by the HJ in Lippstadt).

[Brad McDaniel]

Thank you for the post. I'm just trying educate myself for the barage of questions when these are sold. Thanks again, and if anyone else has anything to add, please do.

[Napalm]

As an aside I once read a story of how a killer was caught due to forensic analysis of shoes. What I see hear is a well kept pair of boots with excessive wear on the right boot. Lets assume for a moment that the boots are not worn for everyday purpose's ( much more overall wear would be visible ) so they were used for sporting/hiking activities so we can then deduce that the owner was an occasional recreationalist with a heavy right leg who put the boots into storage and either went off to war or never wore them again. Now the question is why not? Private purchase boots were not uncommon but expensive items of apparel and would have been handed down if possible in this condition. If they were handed down I imagine they would have been repaired which is possible in this case due to the stud replacement but not the sole who have been repaired as well. So I deduce they were made for a young man who wore them for maybe two winters and for what ever reason never wore them again who suffered from a heavy right leg...I wonder would they have me in Quantico LOL

[Luciusdegeer]

Grissom, it's you! LOL

L