my old dad asked me did i know wos the british army the only army to have
the old hob nail boots
as my dad wos given some menny years ago
best krieg...

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for thow . will be ours someday.we shall have it all
... und mear.......

Nope, pretty much everyone used them except the US and Russia, Soviet boots generally had rubber soles and US boots rubber and leather.

So, there you go.

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There's no honorable way to kill, no gentle way to destroy. There is nothing good in war. Except its ending.

That's news to me. Didn't know anyone outside of the German army used hobnailed boots. Hmmm. Learn something new everyday

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American by birth, TEXAN by the grace of GOD!

Yeah, British ammo boots had hob nails as did German jack boots and ankle boots. The French used them and I'm fairly sure the Italians did. Japanese boots usually have them but the 'tabi' or rubber 2 toed shoes didn't. Apparently Soviet soldiers disliked ankle boots with hob nails, particularly in winter as they reckoned the nails made them colder (Which makes sense I guess).

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There's no honorable way to kill, no gentle way to destroy. There is nothing good in war. Except its ending.

WWII Era French Made Infantry Hob Nail Boots

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For the first time I have seen "History" at close quarters,and I know that its actual process is very different from what is presented to Posterity. - WWI General Max Hoffman.

I'm the "Confederate with a pipe"!! LOL

hi jc
thankyou very much for the fine pitchers great my old dad got reaily excited when he seen the old boots .. once again thanks
best krieg

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for thow . will be ours someday.we shall have it all
... und mear.......

I find it amazing that those kinda boots were considered boots, I mean if you compare to boots of today, they are more like shoes.

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They shall grow not old as we that are left grow old Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We shall remember them. Lest We Forget

Hob nail boots got more than a mention here

Has any one else had a coincidence like this ? - World War 2 Talk

Ron

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During the period October 1942 to January 1947 my wartime "Cook's Tour" took me to the following places:
North Africa, Sicily, Italy, Austria, Egypt & Germany.
My units were the: 49th Light Ack Ack Rgt.RA and
The 4th Queen's Own Hussars.

Just read the post in ww2 talk Ron, that is an amazing, I even told my partner about and she was amazed as well, a great story.

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They shall grow not old as we that are left grow old Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We shall remember them. Lest We Forget

i will glady second that coment from .TC.

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for thow . will be ours someday.we shall have it all
... und mear.......

Hobs do transmit cold to your tootsies, they're also lethal in frozen conditions (as well as on any hard surface, cold or not), I love 'em, especially at night when the sparks fly with every step. Getting harder to find though, and more expensive.

Those French boots look suspicious, almost like they were made by a mate of mine... I'll ask him .

Cheers,
Adam

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"Wars cannot be fought with dream stuff" - Sir Percy Hobart.

Found the pics at this site ,

WWII Era French Made Infantry Hob Nail Boots, Possibly Issued to Vichy Troops: This is an Outstanding Pair of Original Period Leather Combat Boots, with all the Original Hob Nails and Leather Laces. French Made and Marked. Overall condition is Excellent+, with the exception of a light tear to the top back of one boot. Would not even be noticed if these were displayed on a mannequin with leg wraps. Everything else in in Excellent Original condition with clear markings and supple leathers. A hard to find set of Boots in this condition. This style is the same pattern as worn in WWI, with little difference. Nicely marked by a Lyon Maker and dated in Early 1940. These would work equally well on a WWI Era French Infantry Soldier Mannequin, or a World War One United States African-American A.E.F. Soldier's Display. These U.S. Troops (93rd "Black Hand" and 92nd "Buffalo" Divisions) were outfitted by the French, and regularly wore French equipment, with a mix of US and French Made Uniforms. Original WWI Period French Made sets of Combat Footwear are Rare and would cost you 5-6 times the price, especially in this condition, so a good option. (SOLD)

Weapons and Field Gear

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For the first time I have seen "History" at close quarters,and I know that its actual process is very different from what is presented to Posterity. - WWI General Max Hoffman.

I'm the "Confederate with a pipe"!! LOL

I'd already checked the site mate, still look very familiar, I'll have a word. He's not even a faker, makes bespoke boots for the worldwide reenactment market.
Who'd be a militaria collector these days, when even boots can be carefully made copies...

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"Wars cannot be fought with dream stuff" - Sir Percy Hobart.

Analogous to their tank turrets, French boots will only contain one foot at a time.

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So what was the purpose of the Hob Nails?

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American by birth, TEXAN by the grace of GOD!

!. To give added grip when on rough ground
2. To protect the leather of the soles

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During the period October 1942 to January 1947 my wartime "Cook's Tour" took me to the following places:
North Africa, Sicily, Italy, Austria, Egypt & Germany.
My units were the: 49th Light Ack Ack Rgt.RA and
The 4th Queen's Own Hussars.

I'll bet they were tough on the feet, as far as temp was concerned. My baseball metal spikes were attached to the shoe with brads, fully through the sole of the shoe. On rather hot days you could feel heat where the brads were.

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Best Regards,
JW