Combat Service Boots, At the Front

SKU: REPRO US 056
Category: U.S. Footwear

American made reproductions of the WWII Combat Service Boots, often referred to as "double buckle boots".

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Description

American made reproductions of the WWII Combat Service Boots, often referred to as "double buckle boots". Almost as soon as the War began, the shortcomings of the service shoes and leggings became readily apparent. The QMC immediately instituted a program to develop a universal boot to replace leggings as well as jump boots. First tested in Italy in 1943, the Combat Service Boot was approved for mass production late that year and mass production began in January 1944. These were manufactured concurrently with the Type III Service Shoes ("roughouts"). By the Fall of 1944, these had begun to replace the older model boots, although they never totally supplanted them before the end of WWII. Airborne troops in particular resisted replacing their distinctive jump boots, and paratroopers wore a mix of both styles from September until the end of the War.

Made in USA

Sizing: Only D width (regular), sizes 8-13, in whole and halfs.
Fit is accurate- the manufacturer is a US military contractor and their lasts are correctly sized.

Laces: WWII boots were made and issued with 40" (101,6cm) laces. Many people complain that this can't be right. It is. The US Army did not make boots with laces like drawcords on a laundry bags in WWII. Each time you put them on, one needs to take up the slack in each eyelet and then there is enough to tie, but not so much as to leave "rappelling ropes" flopping about on the boots. Size doesn't matter- 8's and 13's have the same length eyelet run.

The boots were manufactured flesh side out, and were issued with dubbing which was used to treat and make them water repellent. Goodyear welt construction was used and there was no internal toe box. Boots made until the early summer of 1944 had a rivet reinforcing the vamp, but this was found to actually be detrimental and was dropped starting with the July contracts. The cuffs were lined with white or olive drab canvas, and most soles were the "composition", with a few boots being made with leather soles and hobnails.

Treat these boots! The US Army designed these boots with flesh-out uppers in order to improve their water repellency. This required "dubbing", which was a beeswax based leather treatment. It was issued with the boots and soldiers were required to apply it to their boots as part of their basic equipment maintenance. If you leave them untreated, they will have very little water repellency, and the light color will easily show stains.

Item information	Value
Item weight:	2,90 kg