Where to find a pair of German brown WW1 boots Knobelbecher ???

[User Name]

Hello

Where to find a pair of German brown WW1 boots Knobelbecher ???
I would be very grateful if anybody here could give me a hint where
to get a pair of early brown German WW1 boots !!!

Thanks!
MfG

[Chip M]

I honestly think that the German or French versions of Ebay are your best bet. Keep an eye on the WWII sections too, as items there are occasionally misidentified. They continued to make side-seam boots well into the 1930s, so without some sort of markings, it can be difficult to determine the age of these boots. Real WWI vintage infantry boots are more difficult to find than you would think, especially with period heels and soles.

Regards,
Chip

[PlaceOfBayonets]

Chip, are these the type of boots the OP is asking about? Seen in photo. Sorry only photo I have of them.

W.

[Hoss]

Gents
Chip,s spoton. WW1 issued EM Trench boots in original condition are like hens teeth to find. William I like the look of yours allthough they looked mismatched. But thats ok, It happened quite a lot even with Allied footwear.

Eric

[PlaceOfBayonets]

Well all I can say then is the marching boots as they are sometimes called come up for sale more often then the Ankle boots.

Mine were on the E stand and the seller could not un load them. NO one wanted them. The price reductions got low enough I could not stand it anymore and I offered to buy them on a payment plan.
At the very same time there was a pair of the same boots on ebay and they sold less then 200 dollars.

I've seen a few pair on ebay so they are not totally impossible to find. And a hell of a lot more affordable then the wool and probably more rare.

If the OP's aim is to get a pair of original boots for a Mannequin display he should just give up the idea and sell me the wool he must have instead.

W.

[Hoss]

EM Boots

1

[Hoss]

EM Boots

Gents
Here,s a pair from my collection.
They are stamped B.J.A VIII (8th Corps Rhine Province) Inside its hard to photograph, the left boot is marked to the 28th Regiment and dated 1908 twice! Similar marks on the inside of the right boot are faded. As you see there are a matched early pair, and been in storage for over 20 yrs.
I have no idea what the G.T.M and numbers mean though.

Eric

[PlaceOfBayonets]

When I got mine in the mail I looked at them and commented to the seller that military foot ware used to be totally un remarkable. You could have walked around a minor town in the old west with them on and the would have not been out of place.

W.

[Chip M]

Eric,

The "J" in B.J.A. stands for "Instandsetzungs" as you may know. This re-marking indicates where these boots were repaired/refurbished. They appear to be very nice, especially considering that they predate WWI.

Now, William's boots look OK from the exterior, but when you look closer, at the interior, you will notice that they have smooth brown leather on the inside. To me, this indicates a later boot. I am used to seeing the smooth leather on the outside of the boot and the rough side on the interior. I have two WWI pairs and both are rough side in, smooth out. It appears that Erics are the same as mine. I also have a pair of issue WWII boots and they have the nice smooth leather on the inside. I don't know when this started, but I have to assume that it was some time after the war and the end of the blockade.

Chip

[PlaceOfBayonets]

My boots are an hour from my location so I cannot take a quik look at them but I am pretty sure they were rough out but so worn you can no longer really tell.

W.

[Hoss]

1

[Hoss]

Chip
Thats interesting. On the early boots only the foot is smooth side out on mine, looks like, and this pair all leather is rough out?

Eric

[Chip M]

What is the inside of the shaft look like? Is it rough or smooth?

Chip

[Hoss]

What is the inside of the shaft look like? Is it rough or smooth?

Chip

Chip
I inspected them again and now it looks like both pair of boots are all rough side out?
On the earlier pair they were just buffed at some point so the shoe looks smoth out. Pheew.
Thanks
Eric