U.S. BOOTS.

[Karoshi]

Can anyone tell me what branch of U.S troops wore metal Studded boots, al la British Ammo boot style.

 

Particularly interested in Combat applications, for field troops.

 

Thanks

 

Karoshi

[whistlinwolf]

I'm sure the 10th mountain Div wore nailed boots,but they were more like a climbing boot, will check out and see if I can find a picture.

There were the Mediteranean Brit commandos that were issued with a lot of US kit, I have a book somewhere with them wearing M1 helmets and Ammo boots.

[oddball]

Karoshi is refering to this picture on the cover of GI Collectors Guide.

 

 

[oddball]

...................and these were on ebay a few months ago

 

[oddball]

I've now found the same picture in another book & the caption reads "Normandy, summer 1944 at a battalion HQ of the 29th Division............The kneeling man has British made hobnailed boots"

 

Still doesn't explain the hobnailed roughouts that were on ebay though.

[777 AAA]

I have a pair of nailed boots like these in my collection.

[armydriver]

Those have to be scarce, just as most WWII issue boots are. It has always amazed me as to how much British gear Americans would wear into combat during WWII, which speaks for the quality and utility of the British stuff. Many of the American B-17 and B 24 crew nenbers oreferred tge RAF fleece boots and a lot of the P 51 pilots preferred the RAF flat flying goggles to the American issued ones. I have a leather u.S. Issued flight helmet with the British RAF type goggles given to me by a former P-51 pilot and he said the view from the curved plexiglass in the P-51 was not as distorted with the RAF goggles as it was with the curved lensed U.S. goggles. I don't know really for sure, but then he was the expert not me. He flew his thirty missions in the 8th AAF and shot down 4 FW190's.