Footwear in British WW2 Armoured Vehicles ?

[roajeep]

Hi,

Would the crews in tanks,  tank destroyers, and similar have used the standard issue hobnail boots ?

I get the impression that in the field clothing was pretty relaxed and I assume that hobnails on steel floors surrounded by ammunition, fuel, oil, etc could have been possibly dangerous from sparks or sliding on the internal or external surfaces.

 

Thanks. 

[AlienFTM]

4 minutes ago, roajeep said:

Hi,

Would the crews in tanks,  tank destroyers, and similar have used the standard issue hobnail boots ?

I get the impression that in the field clothing was pretty relaxed and I assume that hobnails on steel floors surrounded by ammunition, fuel, oil, etc could have been possibly dangerous from sparks or sliding on the internal or external surfaces.

 

Thanks. 

Good question. I have no answer. But I agree with your thoughts. Some of mine.

For Operation Chariot, St Nazaire, March 1942, troops were issued rubber soled boots to avoid hob nails banging on the cobbles, moles, etc. I tried once to establish a link between these boots and the DMS I wore in armoured vehicles in the 70s and 80s. Without joy. I'd like to think that these boots went on to be issued to RAC crewmen.

That said, as you say, in the field we wore what worked, not what regulations said (looks at 9/12L who, I heard, did enforce dress standards in the field. And the Household Cavalry).

A friend left and gave me his sheepskin lined Bundeswehr Panzerstiefel crewman jackboots. I was in Command Troop and even the CO wasn't offended by my wearing them. On one occasion, driving the Regimental Signals Sergeant's Ferret Scout Car, he, envious of my Panzerstiefel, offered a swap for his helicopter crew boots. Since I was envious, we went for it. Unfortunately the half size difference proved too much and we quickly swapped back (mid-exercise).

This was about the time somebody went round the troop suggesting we all buy US Army boots to wear in the field, from the PX at nearby Dempsey Barracks, Sennelager. I declined because I had experience of US shoe sizings, and knew that they made their footwear far too narrow for my wide feet (I wear size 8, but the smallest DMS I could wear were 9 Large). As I recall, it didn't catch on.

[10FM68]

As I recall, MT drivers of all types (and I presume this would include AFV crewmen) wore standard leather-soled boots but without the additional studs.  But, in those days, studded leather soled shoes and boots were the thing - everyone wore them so they just got used to it.  Probably slipped over and barked their shins more than we did with rubber soles and, of course, made a lot more noise running around.  German boots, in particular, seemed very heavily studded.

Your recollection of the sudden fashion for US boots strikes a chord with me.  I fell victim!  For some reason, I can't remember what now, I found myself at a US base and was persuaded to bu a pair of, the then extremely fashionable, paratroop boots. You'll remember them, Im sure - rather pronounced toecaps with a set of decorative holes along the stitching.  They were quite thin leather - though a highboot, of course - and had stitched on soles with a very insignificant tread.  Well, you couldn't stand up in them on wet grass and the slightest damp and your feet were wet!  I didn't keep them long!  The US shirt, however, was a different matter - very comfortable and warm under combats!

 

Oh, by the way, I think the early rubber-soled boots in the British Army, as issued to paras forst off, I believe, had rather squashy 'crepe' rubber soles like desert boots.  Probably nice and quiet, good in the dry, but lethal in the wet.  There's a photo of them in , I think, George Forty's book on the British Army.

Edited March 3 by 10FM68
punctuation, or lack of.

[REME 245]

Without any rubber pads on brake and clutch pedal's due to shortages, metal on metal contact must have been potentially dangers but lots of soldiers did wear hob nail boots particularly in things like carriers.  If you caused an accident on a modern show ground due to wearing hob nails expect the police to take an interest. 

[roajeep]

Thanks guys for your interesting replies. I have a pair of Danish boots with no studs and they can be OK to use with my BD as they very similar to the British WW2 boots. Best to be safe when jeeping in Normandy. Don't want to slip the clutch and run over a Gendarme.

[Barrym]

To follow on from Alien FTM's reply, we served in the same regiment, I wore my belstaff high leg bike boots on exercise, and I remember there was a liking for the german para boots of the time.