BW Boots

[steve 82]

With all the focus on all manner of other uniforms and equipment, I have not seen anything on boots !

So please feel free to post your pics / details of any BW boots - all periods here.

Regards

Steve 82

[Collectinsteve]

I'll try and take some pictures of the ones I have. However, I do have a question that I'm hoping someone can answer.

In 1990 I purchased a nice pair of jackboots at a shop in Germany. They have standard BW rubber soles and style, including the double hole demil marks at the top of each boot. This should indicate that they are BW issue. They do not, however, have the adjustment buckles on the sides like the standard issue boots. I used to think they were Navy or Airforce, but I've seen no reference to them using different style boots (other than the Navy using leather soles without metal).

Today I found a seller claiming that the buckleless boots were really WW2 production that were reissued with rubber soles added. I find this very hard to believe. Does anybody know the story behind the ones without buckles?

Steve

[Asbjoern]

Depending on my actual information the BGS wore boots without the adjustment buckles called "Demokratenschnalle" (democrat-buckle) as they should show the difference to the TR jackboot.

Jens

[Albert]

1970s - early eighties:

[Albert]

pic. 2:

[Albert]

pic. 3:

[Collectinsteve]

Hello Jens,

Did the BGS use the two hole demilitarization mark like the BW? I was not aware that they did. My pair (pictured below) definitely has those marks. I do have a pair of BGS jackboots and they have the "Demokratenschnalle" (heh... funny name!), but are constructed slightly different than the BW models.

I managed to find some time to take pictures of the BW boots in my collection. Starting from most recent...

1980s and probably early 1990s



1970s and early 1980s (Jens, any idea when they switched?)



1950s and 1960s Marine



1950s and 1960s Heer



Mystery no-buckle



1950s to early 1960s. One gaiter is dated 1961, the other 1963



Steve

[Asbjoern]

The change between the brown boots and the black boots is not exactely dated...somewhere around 1980 may be a date when the black ones where issued first, but beside brown still in use there are also black boots existing with sewn on sole. Maybe these are blackened brown boots or a interims model.
Maybe I should start a question on multiboard ...

The black boots on your first photos look like refurbished ones as the sole looks like the one used on the "new type" of the 90ies while the boot itself is in 80ies stile ...

Jens

[Towarish]

The black boots on your first photos look like refurbished ones as the sole looks like the one used on the "new type" of the 90ies while the boot itself is in 80ies stile ...

x2 on that one.
These shoes were re-soled at some point.

[Asbjoern]

There are some first answers on dating those boots...

The brown boots where invented in 1971, produced and worn in greater stile from 1973 onwards. Between 1971 and 1975 they showed a sewn on sole, between 1975 and 1978 they had a full glued sole. Beginning in 1978 the black boots where purchased but the brown ones where still issued as there where large scale stocks. Sometimes soldiers where ordered to blacken them by the extensive use of black shoe-polish ...
The back shoes underwent a design chang around 1984 and stayed in production until 1993. Before being replaced by the "Modell 2000" shoe they now made using the same sole as Mod 2000. So the boot shown abowe shouldn`t be reworked, its a interims model... the production date of all models can be read on the lace ....

The "Schnürschuh" on the last picture initially was issued as working shoe but often used in training exercises. Invented in 1955 it was still issued in the early 80ies !!

Regards,

Jens

[Klaus1989]

To add to Asbjoern's post, Schnürschuhe were also worn in BGS as regular issue 1951-53 and work shoe until 1970s or so. But I do not think BGS wore them training like Bw after Knobelbecher issue and never worn with Gamaschen.

regards
Klaus

[allen]

Braun kampfstiefeln

Albert,

Where in the world did you get those brown BW boots? They're beautiful. I had a pair back in the eighties but mine were dogged out.

[Guardian 5]

Brown is definitely the choice for Oberfeldwebel Hans, my assistant moderator.

[Guardian 5]

Another look.

All the best - TJ

[Guardian 5]

Note the tan boots worn by this Soldat deployed to Somalia. My guess is that they are of French origin as is true of his light weight fatigue uniform.

All the best - TJ