The soles of the sport shoe.
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Gentlemen,
a few more photos of my Bergstiefel.
A photo of the sole, as you can see they are well worn.
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And a few photos of a pair "Protokollstiefel" for the Wachbataillon.
Tomorrow I'll try to post the photos of my Kampfstiefel
PhilComment
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Gentlemen,
I have wondered why BW GJ didn't need grooves in the heels of their boots to hold the ski harnesses firmly to the skis. Today, while looking thorugh Kunswadl's boot for pictures of boots in wear I came across the answer. The mechanism for attaching the boot to the ski is very complex and doesn't need a groove in the heel. It also appears to be able to be used in two different ways. Latched in one position for down hill skiing and in a different position for cross country skiing. Here is the picture from his book that illustrates these points.
Regards,
GordonComment
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A closer look at the skis boots and how they are attached to the skis.Comment
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Gordon,
These are '80s - '90s vintage touring bindings. While they don't require the heel groove that enabled the attachment of cable bindings of old, they most definitely do require a rigid surface at the heel for proper lock down. Something tells me the boots seen in this picture are Lowa doubleboots, which must have replaced the heavy leather mountain boots that are seen in some of the earlier posts.
The outer boots on these are molded plastic, having a rigid sole and protruding front and back 'lips' that offer secure attachment surfaces for ski bindings. The examples shown below were bought from Sportsman's Guide in recent years. One pair came with leather inner boots; the other pair have synthetic inner boots. They are comfortable enough to wear, but are ill suited for long hikes (for which the Haix boots Towarish posted would be a far better choice; which leads me to suspect that today's BW mountain troopers are issued with both types of footwear - the lighter Bergstiefel for hiking, and heavier ones like these for skiing, climbing, etc. Perhaps a serving member can confirm or refute this?):
Gene TComment
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GeneT,
Interesting ski boots. Thanks for posting them. Using the boots you posted for skiing would certainly add to what a GJ had to carry with him in the winter months. Ski boots for skiing, Bergstiefel for walking and climbing and Kampfstiefel to wear aound the camp. I hope some ex GJ is able to make some comments here.
Regards,
GordonComment
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As promissed a few photos of my Modell 2000 Kampfstiefel. They are quite decent to wear but I like the Bergstiefel much more.
@ Gordon, Geb.Jg. don't get issued Kampfstiefel.
Cheers,
Phil
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Towarish,
When I mentioned Kampfstiefl to wear around the camp I wasn't referring to the same foot wear that you are here. Anyone who has walked any distance in any kind of hiking boots will know that one of the first things you do when you camp for the night is to take off your walking shoes and put on something more comfortable. There are pictures of GJ wearing low shoes after they had camped for the evening. These are the shoes I was refering to. I should have been more explicit.
Regards,
GordonComment
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Quick note, I just saw a picture of BGS troops in Sumpftarn "assaulting" along with a M-8 armored car. They were wearing boots very similar to the BW Protokollstiefel shown below. At least I can make out the heal is the same steel U shape edge. I don't know the date of the photo, but I'd guess late 1950s or very early 1960s.
SteveComment
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Steve,
It would be interesting to see the picture you talked about in your post above. I am not surprised to see that easly BGS, and possibly BW boots with leather heels and soles, used steel on them to prevent them from wearing out quickly. It seem like a logical thing to do to me.
I have a pair of protokolsteifel on the way to complete my Wachbataillon mannequin.
Regards,
GordonComment
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Gordon,
Here is the picture. Unfortunately I have no idea where I grabbed it from, so if the copyright holder has an issue please let me know:
A rare "action shot" of BGS on maneuvers. The look at the boot sole is a nice bonus. Which, I must say, I probably wouldn't have noticed if this discussion hadn't been going on so recently.
SteveComment
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Steve,
Thanks for the photo. I have the same one and it has been posted on the net many times. When I looked at it I always concentrated on the cammo uniforms and never noticed the boots.
Regards,
GordonComment
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Glad I could breath new life into an old picture. Heck, I probably got it off of a thread here years ago
Like you, I concentrated on the camouflage uniforms, but this boot thread here put some part of my mind on alert for such details. Now looking at it I can't believe I didn't notice this before since I usually check out the soles of boots whenever the opportunity presents itself. Because, of course, the opportunity doesn't usually present itself!
SteveComment
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