Soviet army boots

skipper1939 · 10-11-2003, 12:41 PM

I wonder if this is the right place to raise these questions. I am collecting Soviet post-war tall boots to go with my uniforms. My first question has to do with the finish. Some of those I obtained have shiny smooth surfaces and now I have just gotten a pair, in exactly the same design and height , with a semi-pebble finish. All are Soviet with Russian info printed in them. Can anyone tell me what the difference is in terms of usage. E.g., is one type for enlisted and one for officer? Of is one for parade and the other a field design.

My other question relates to Russian metric sizes. According to the international metric web-site a size 42 is an American size 8.5. I wear a size 9.5 shoe and the size 42 fits me perfectly. While the size 44, which should be a l0 American is far too big to fit me. It does not seem to be a quality control program because I have two 44s from two different sources and they are both exactly the same size. Does ayone know what the explanation is?

Dr. Bob Clawson

vikingraider1 · 10-11-2003, 06:52 PM

The peble finish was almost certainly for enlisted personel. I have a pair of officers boots and they have a shiny gloss finish with a white matt finish with markings.

skipper1939 · 10-12-2003, 01:24 PM

During the very first time that I lived in Moscow (1966), at the university, army enlisted troops were wearing high, smooth boots that looked, externally, just like those the officers wore. That continued on over the years until my last visit to the USSR in 1989. I never saw the pebble finish in any Soviet city. The finish is somewhere between the East German very pebbled and the Soviet very smooth finish. I cannot find a source that shows this smoothish but pebbled finish. But they are definitely Russian.

Dr. Bob

kabanchik · 10-12-2003, 04:02 PM

Hello, Professor!!
I'm so glad to find that you joined the forum. It's great to have a resident academic amongst us!! Welcome (or should I say dobrii pozhalovat!)!!!
About the boots: the Soviet soldiers' boots are I have examined are usually unlined, and often made form some type of artificial leather, while the officers' boots would have a fine lining of smooth white or grey suede-type leather inside. I know that in the East German Volksarmee, the officers wore a shiny, smooth boot for everyday and parade use, and a lined, pebbled-leather boot for field and combat use (the soldiers' boots being of MUCH cruder material and construction). Perhaps the same holds true for the Soviets, although mostly one found the smooth leather boots filling all roles from field to parade.

skipper1939 · 10-12-2003, 04:42 PM

Okay. I have one smooth pair, unfortunately too small for me, that is beautifully lined and has Wellington style straight tops. The others, both smooth and pebble, are unlined. The newest ones have a top that is high in the front and lower in the back.

I have been wearing smooth East German boots with the marshal's uniform and while at a "Russian" cocktail party, I was challenged by a former Soviet citizen who said the toes were too square!

The other night we had the first banquet of the year of my NATO studies group and I wore the marshal's uniform in honor of our speaker, the U.S. army colonel (now a doctoral student preparing to teach at West Point) who just comes to see what I'll wear next. I wore real too large Soviet boots, but they were obviously soldiers' boots and not fit for the uniform. Our colonel did appreciate my gesture, though.

Na Zapad!

Bob

skipper1939 · 10-17-2003, 03:31 PM

Well, I had occassion to be working on my uniform displays and just out of curiosity, again inspected the half dozen or so boots that I have. ALL of my Russian boots are lined! Beautiful. The pebbly pair that I have is as good looking inside as any of the others. It is nowhere near as dull on the outside as the East German pebble kind and, I think, would show up in a photo almost indistinguishable from the smooth ones. The guy who ran them down for me has no clue as to why the difference. They are butter smooth inside.

My wife, who in her teens sold childrens' shoes at a major department store in Cleveland, says the size marked Russian 42 (which should be metric 42 or size 8.5) fit my size 9.5 feet perfectly. They certainly feel good enough. She did suggest that we had enough Russian and German riding boots.

Na Zapad!

Dr. Bob

ibaya · 10-20-2003, 09:54 PM

It would seem to be that case that smooth boots are for parade dress, and "pebbled surface" boots are for field use. Since the conscript's 2-year service kit had an allotment of only 1 pair (imitation plastic leather, aka "pleather"), these boots found double use in the field and on parade. I don't know if officers/warrants/extended servicemembers had the option of purchasing textured-surface boots, but they would make sense --- a shiny, smooth surface isn't very camoflauge-worthy!

I believe that the East German Army had both types of boots in use. The height of the boot was also a rank distinction ... enlisted/cadets boots only went to mid-calf, higher ranks went up to just below the knee. Was this also true for Soviet uniforms?

skipper1939 · 10-20-2003, 10:21 PM

I think that you are correct about field versus parade. Soviet naval infantry, both officer and enlisted, wore a boot about the height of the East German enlisted. Airborne wore a boot much like the high riding boot except that it laced at the very top.

I guess that the principal difference between officer and enlisted Soviet boots is that the former were lined with soft leather and the enlisted was unlined artificial. I believe the outside of the officer boots was also artificial and they are completely waterproof.

The so-called "European metric" sizes seem to have a lot of variation from country to country. I just found out that a Romanian 42 is a size 9 U.S. where it is a sized 8.5 in France and Germany. That may account for the unpredictability of how a particular size will fit. Seems to be a difference between East German and Soviet too.

I'll probably keep one pair of slightly too large smooth officers' boots and one of the somewhat glossy pebble or exactly the correct size.

Thanks for your input.

Professor Dr. Bob (European size)

Timmey · 10-27-2003, 10:34 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by skipper1939
I wonder if this is the right place to raise these questions. I am collecting Soviet post-war tall boots to go with my uniforms. My first question has to do with the finish. Some of those I obtained have shiny smooth surfaces and now I have just gotten a pair, in exactly the same design and height , with a semi-pebble finish. All are Soviet with Russian info printed in them. Can anyone tell me what the difference is in terms of usage. E.g., is one type for enlisted and one for officer? Of is one for parade and the other a field design.

My other question relates to Russian metric sizes. According to the international metric web-site a size 42 is an American size 8.5. I wear a size 9.5 shoe and the size 42 fits me perfectly. While the size 44, which should be a l0 American is far too big to fit me. It does not seem to be a quality control program because I have two 44s from two different sources and they are both exactly the same size. Does ayone know what the explanation is?

Dr. Bob Clawson

Welcome to the board!
I live in Columbus Ohio!
What other Soviet stuff do you collect, I have an extensive collection and I would love to share with anyone like minded!
Any other Ohioions here?

skipper1939 · 11-02-2003, 06:03 PM

Last night we hosted a reception for visiting young Russian governmental and NGO executives. One had been conscripted out of his language institute in 1988. He served his two years in Kaliningrad (Koenigsburg) somewhat unsuccesfully in the motorized rifles as an RPG-7 man. His recollection was that at that time, the pebble boots were worn by the enlisted conscripts of the first six month period. After that they were given artificial leather smooth boots. They were a freshman badge.

His memory of the pebble boots was particularly amusing to him because he said that the day he was issued them, they were stolen and he had to wait a day in barracks while they found a new pair for him.

He also remembered his time in that port city as one of continuous and uproarious dirty tricks between the navy (the predominant force there) and the army. But he thought the army had come out ahead. Stealing each others' equipment was high on the enterainment list.

Sounds like San Diego!

Dr. Bob

10-11-2003, 12:41 PM	#1
skipper1939 Member Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Kent, Ohio - USA Age: 84 Posts: 61	Soviet army boots I wonder if this is the right place to raise these questions. I am collecting Soviet post-war tall boots to go with my uniforms. My first question has to do with the finish. Some of those I obtained have shiny smooth surfaces and now I have just gotten a pair, in exactly the same design and height , with a semi-pebble finish. All are Soviet with Russian info printed in them. Can anyone tell me what the difference is in terms of usage. E.g., is one type for enlisted and one for officer? Of is one for parade and the other a field design. My other question relates to Russian metric sizes. According to the international metric web-site a size 42 is an American size 8.5. I wear a size 9.5 shoe and the size 42 fits me perfectly. While the size 44, which should be a l0 American is far too big to fit me. It does not seem to be a quality control program because I have two 44s from two different sources and they are both exactly the same size. Does ayone know what the explanation is? Dr. Bob Clawson

10-11-2003, 06:52 PM	#2
vikingraider1 Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: London, Home of West Ham United Age: 54 Posts: 328	The peble finish was almost certainly for enlisted personel. I have a pair of officers boots and they have a shiny gloss finish with a white matt finish with markings. __________________ "We can truly say that the whole circuit of the earth is girdled with the graves of our dead... and, in the course of my pilgrimage, I have many times asked myself whether there can be more potent advocates of peace upon earth through the years to come, than this massed multitude of silent witnesses to the desolation of war." King George V, Flanders, 1922

10-20-2003, 10:21 PM	#8
skipper1939 Member Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Kent, Ohio - USA Age: 84 Posts: 61	Soviet boots I think that you are correct about field versus parade. Soviet naval infantry, both officer and enlisted, wore a boot about the height of the East German enlisted. Airborne wore a boot much like the high riding boot except that it laced at the very top. I guess that the principal difference between officer and enlisted Soviet boots is that the former were lined with soft leather and the enlisted was unlined artificial. I believe the outside of the officer boots was also artificial and they are completely waterproof. The so-called "European metric" sizes seem to have a lot of variation from country to country. I just found out that a Romanian 42 is a size 9 U.S. where it is a sized 8.5 in France and Germany. That may account for the unpredictability of how a particular size will fit. Seems to be a difference between East German and Soviet too. I'll probably keep one pair of slightly too large smooth officers' boots and one of the somewhat glossy pebble or exactly the correct size. Thanks for your input. Professor Dr. Bob (European size)

11-02-2003, 06:03 PM	#10
skipper1939 Member Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Kent, Ohio - USA Age: 84 Posts: 61	Pebble versus smooth Last night we hosted a reception for visiting young Russian governmental and NGO executives. One had been conscripted out of his language institute in 1988. He served his two years in Kaliningrad (Koenigsburg) somewhat unsuccesfully in the motorized rifles as an RPG-7 man. His recollection was that at that time, the pebble boots were worn by the enlisted conscripts of the first six month period. After that they were given artificial leather smooth boots. They were a freshman badge. His memory of the pebble boots was particularly amusing to him because he said that the day he was issued them, they were stolen and he had to wait a day in barracks while they found a new pair for him. He also remembered his time in that port city as one of continuous and uproarious dirty tricks between the navy (the predominant force there) and the army. But he thought the army had come out ahead. Stealing each others' equipment was high on the enterainment list. Sounds like San Diego! Dr. Bob

Similar Threads
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
Soviet field leather boots	Al-muell	Unsold Soviet Uniform Miscellanea Archive	0	01-07-2008 06:09 PM
Soviet Officer Boots	desantnik	Sold Soviet Uniform Miscellanea Archive	0	09-01-2007 01:55 PM
DDR Boots	DougD	Sold Other Country Militaria Archive	0	07-21-2007 01:36 PM
Soviet army boots?	asjemenou	Soviet Uniforms, Hats And Insignia	10	04-10-2007 01:31 PM

10-12-2003, 01:24 PM	#3
skipper1939 Member Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Kent, Ohio - USA Age: 84 Posts: 61	During the very first time that I lived in Moscow (1966), at the university, army enlisted troops were wearing high, smooth boots that looked, externally, just like those the officers wore. That continued on over the years until my last visit to the USSR in 1989. I never saw the pebble finish in any Soviet city. The finish is somewhere between the East German very pebbled and the Soviet very smooth finish. I cannot find a source that shows this smoothish but pebbled finish. But they are definitely Russian. Dr. Bob

10-12-2003, 04:02 PM	#4
kabanchik Member Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: Huntington Beach, CA USA Age: 71 Posts: 80	Hello, Professor!! I'm so glad to find that you joined the forum. It's great to have a resident academic amongst us!! Welcome (or should I say dobrii pozhalovat!)!!! About the boots: the Soviet soldiers' boots are I have examined are usually unlined, and often made form some type of artificial leather, while the officers' boots would have a fine lining of smooth white or grey suede-type leather inside. I know that in the East German Volksarmee, the officers wore a shiny, smooth boot for everyday and parade use, and a lined, pebbled-leather boot for field and combat use (the soldiers' boots being of MUCH cruder material and construction). Perhaps the same holds true for the Soviets, although mostly one found the smooth leather boots filling all roles from field to parade.

10-12-2003, 04:42 PM	#5
skipper1939 Member Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Kent, Ohio - USA Age: 84 Posts: 61	Okay. I have one smooth pair, unfortunately too small for me, that is beautifully lined and has Wellington style straight tops. The others, both smooth and pebble, are unlined. The newest ones have a top that is high in the front and lower in the back. I have been wearing smooth East German boots with the marshal's uniform and while at a "Russian" cocktail party, I was challenged by a former Soviet citizen who said the toes were too square! The other night we had the first banquet of the year of my NATO studies group and I wore the marshal's uniform in honor of our speaker, the U.S. army colonel (now a doctoral student preparing to teach at West Point) who just comes to see what I'll wear next. I wore real too large Soviet boots, but they were obviously soldiers' boots and not fit for the uniform. Our colonel did appreciate my gesture, though. Na Zapad! Bob

10-17-2003, 03:31 PM	#6
skipper1939 Member Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Kent, Ohio - USA Age: 84 Posts: 61	Well, I had occassion to be working on my uniform displays and just out of curiosity, again inspected the half dozen or so boots that I have. ALL of my Russian boots are lined! Beautiful. The pebbly pair that I have is as good looking inside as any of the others. It is nowhere near as dull on the outside as the East German pebble kind and, I think, would show up in a photo almost indistinguishable from the smooth ones. The guy who ran them down for me has no clue as to why the difference. They are butter smooth inside. My wife, who in her teens sold childrens' shoes at a major department store in Cleveland, says the size marked Russian 42 (which should be metric 42 or size 8.5) fit my size 9.5 feet perfectly. They certainly feel good enough. She did suggest that we had enough Russian and German riding boots. Na Zapad! Dr. Bob

10-20-2003, 09:54 PM	#7
ibaya Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Maryland, USA Age: 54 Posts: 200	It would seem to be that case that smooth boots are for parade dress, and "pebbled surface" boots are for field use. Since the conscript's 2-year service kit had an allotment of only 1 pair (imitation plastic leather, aka "pleather"), these boots found double use in the field and on parade. I don't know if officers/warrants/extended servicemembers had the option of purchasing textured-surface boots, but they would make sense --- a shiny, smooth surface isn't very camoflauge-worthy! I believe that the East German Army had both types of boots in use. The height of the boot was also a rank distinction ... enlisted/cadets boots only went to mid-calf, higher ranks went up to just below the knee. Was this also true for Soviet uniforms?

Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)