M-16 boots query

[Kohima]

Good evening chaps,
I recently acquired a pair of the so-called M-16 rubber soled boots - beautifully well-worn and salty!
The only photographic evidence I have, thus far, managed to find suggests these boots to have been reserved for second line and support troops (and, in particular, Prisoners of War), while frontline personnel continued to wear the M-5 boot throughout the war.
Does anyone have any further information regarding their use?
Many thanks,
Bob

[zachb]

Hi Bob, I'm not familiar with the nomenclature you are using ("M-16", "M-5") and would be curious to know where those designations come from? As to the rubber soled boots (Class B Field Shoes), my understanding is that these were just economy measures as supply of steel and leather decreased and were not necessarily meant for specific personnel. Regards, Zach

[Kohima]

Many thanks Zach,
The designations I use are from Agustin Saiz's 'Heitai' (I have no idea if these are official or his own), the 'M-5' referring to 1930 model and 'M-16', 1941.
I know that the latter saved up to 50% of the leather required to produce a pair, and almost eliminated all the metals.
Having strained to study virtually every period photo I can find, their use appears very limited indeed. Granted, a lack of evidence is not evidence, but one would expect to see plenty in use by the end of the war. I wonder if the rubber soles, although better for enduring extremes of moisture in jungle conditions, were simply not robust enough for the rigours of frontline use and, therefore, reserved to free up the leather soled type for such issue.
Furthermore, the reduced number of lacing eyelets would also reduce the comfort of the fit. Where POWs were concerned, this would hardly be much of a consideration for the Japanese army of the time.
Cheers,
Bob

[zachb]

'Heitai' is the one reference I don’t have, having decided against buying it after it got many mixed reviews. I just wanted to make sure we were indeed talking about the same kit.

These later War rubber soled shoes do seem to have been an economy expedient. I have any older reference: “Japanese Army Regular Footwear 1873-1945”, by Ueno Satoshi, and published by the Ludovika Militaria Akademia, that seems to indicate that was the singular purpose for their development. How they were issued or ended up being used may in fact be another matter. I could see sandals as being the issue footwear for POWs. I can say that the rubber soled boots are rare; I think I have only seen 3 or 4 pair in 25 years of collecting.

[Kohima]

Oh, I would thoroughly recommend 'Heitei' over anything else that I know of. I cannot understand why it would receive mixed reviews.. It is the first book I refer to on the subject and well-thumbed! Unlike the irritating Schiffer effort with numerous (though sometimes pointless) photographs, minimal supporting text and captions that are, frankly, a waste of ink - too often repeating verbatim lines from the thin 'body' text or sparsely stating the bleedin' obvious ('Meiji era soldier', 'Front view of tunic', 'Soldier wearing a medal', &c.). It consistently gets cast aside in frustration (like sadly too many of their works - and not necessarily the fault of the author)!
Saiz, on the other hand, goes into far greater detail in photographs and, most importantly, information, not only with regard to the uniform, but the lives and thoughts of the soldier himself. A pricey book, granted, but a far more rewarding and informative read.
Thanks for your thoughts Zach. This is the only pair I have ever encountered 'in the wild', so to speak, and only seen a handful in books and the internet. It just struck me as odd how rare they are in period images - the clearest image found shows a group of Commonwealth POWs wearing a mix of the M-16 and Jika Tabi. A friend of mine has a pair of the rice-straw Waraji sandals that were worn by a British PoW (and I someday hope to acquire)!
All the very best,
Bob