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boots
G'day all,
A nice pair of early pre 39 or's knobelbecher.Very good condition and very hard to find like that.
Cheers,Paul.Comment
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Hi Willi !!
by "officers grade" I ment a style of these boots - and craftmanshipp - Yours are very "slim" and tall - looks like boots for breeches, also I dont see any stamps or numbers - so I assume they maybe private made.
"enlisted" issue boots are more like these from my Friend collection (courtesy of Fullriede jesli laskawie mozna uzyc zdjec marcin
)
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also compare hardware on the heel - yours is more wide - either custom made - or post war/war replacement. typical german heel looks like that - and these have numeration on side
IMHo Yours are not issue boots - but private made breeches boots..
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boots
G'day Mike,
Fullriede's boots are the later style.These one's of Mikes are standard issue or's and not private purchase.There will probably be a size stamp inside on the sole and it will be in the standard european style eg. 42 rather than what we expect on knobelbecher eg.28.This is info I got from Manny regarding a pair I purchased in Germany.
Cheers,Paul.Comment
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Nice pair of custom-made boots Will.
Though IMO the hobnails are applied later. Compared with the outworn soles.
All the best
K.Comment
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arent EM's boots slightly shorter than officers also? Glenn
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Interesting responses everyone, thank you for the input. I was going to take and post some more pictures of boots this evening to address some of the points brought up, but something came up. I will try to do so tomorrow night.
Regards,
Will.Comment
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Well, I took some pictures tonight, but first, as for my first boots being a private purchase pair and not standard EM, I can agree that is possible, however still have doubts as I am reminded of a pair I saw several years ago which immediately came to mind when I first pulled my pair out of the box. I chose not to buy these boots and returned them to the dealer almost immediately, as I had promised to do if I did not want them, and as such I did not get to photograph them. Now, I wish had taken the time to do so. They were very similar in appearance, being dated 1933 so they were very early. (but not a pair of WWI pattern boots) The top of the shafts sloped/tapered noticeably downwards, from the front to behind the knees, and were extremely tall, even though the foot size itself was reasonably large, but not basketball player size either. The soles incorporated a full set of hobnails, toe plates (both long lost) and had the same kind of wide heel horseshoes (numerations?) as the ones present on my boots. Unfortunately, they were in very poor shape, with many missing hobnails and holes though the leather of both body and soles and so I returned them. Rare and unique, they were simply not worth the cost.
The pair Michael's friend owns are awesome, undoubtedly the standard mass produced pattern usually issued to NCOs and enlisted men, and most commonly seen. I do not know the foot size, possibly they have shortened shafts to conserve leather economy? I wish I could find a pair like that myself.
BTW can someone with a copy of SOLDAT, volume 2 (the thin one) tell me which pair of boots (mine or Fullriede's) most resemble the ones shown in that book? I no longer have my copy, but I would like to know.
However, like so many items made during WWII, Knobelbechern came in many forms. Here are some photos of other jackboots I own, all original and untouched footwear of the 3rd Reich. Please take a look. All comments and questions are welcome.Comment
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This frankenstein looking pair are very large, unmarked, and appear to be liberally coated with something, probably shoe polish.Comment
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I have no idea why the soles are like this. Either the cobbler needed new glasses or there is a specific reason?Comment
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Check out the heels guys, one wide horseshoe and one thin horseshoe.Comment
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This is a nice pair, from Grenadier Military Antiques. The leather is very stiff, but set in a nice worn shape.Comment
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