Tanker's winter boots?

I have a set of WW2 tanker's winter coveralls that I'd like to eventually put on a mannequin. Does anyone know if there was a winter boot issued to AFV crews? If not, what did they wear?

sarge5020 wrote:I have a set of WW2 tanker's winter coveralls that I'd like to eventually put on a mannequin. Does anyone know if there was a winter boot issued to AFV crews? If not, what did they wear?

They just wore regular ammo boots like everyone else (possibly without hobnails)

Rob

I've seen mention in at least one reference to ammo boots with rubber soles for use by armor crews to reduce slippage on the metal surfaces. I have no idea how common their use would have been.

OK, thanks guys.

My understanding was that the armoured troops wore a ammunition style boot, but with a rubber / composite type material. The leather soles were very slippery on vehicle surfaces. See Bouchery From D-Day to V-E Day : The Canadian Soldier, pg 87 for an image of the armoured corps boots.

Bill wrote:My understanding was that the armoured troops wore a ammunition style boot, but with a rubber / composite type material. The leather soles were very slippery on vehicle surfaces. See Bouchery From D-Day to V-E Day : The Canadian Soldier, pg 87 for an image of the armoured corps boots.

I haven't read that book, but I'm interested now. Maybe I'll get a copy and see. The only reference I can find to rubber/composition soled boots is British ACI 1983 of 11 Oct 1941 which allowed rubber/comp heels for certain Provost units doing a large amount of patrol work. Royal Navy issue boots were similar to this too. Does Bouchery give any reference for this? Hate to sound snotty, but it is a 'Histoire et Collections' book, and they always make nice looking books, but are not beyond 'making shit up' :)

Anyway, when in doubt, try to find photos, right? The only thing I could find right away is a photo of an 14th Field Regt RCA SP crew sitting on an M7:


Looks to me as if the first man is wearing normal hobbed boots and the rest have un-hobbed standard ammo boots (you can see the toe and heel cleats but no hobnails). I know its not a regular tank crew, but an SP crew would have been sliding around all over the place in the crew compartment if leather soles were that bad. I will see if i can find any more pictures.

Rob

Hello Rob, Great photo. No doubt there will be some difficulty in establishing the practices in the army. SP guns were artillery and not armoured, which may have significance. Worth more reserach and investigation.

WW2 boots
post war boots(1950)

The top image in the previous post is the one from the Bouchery book. The composite soles were added over the leather nes. The boots may not have been a unit issue, and only issued to crew. The tread pattern could look like hobnails in images.
Again, more research may reveal the answers.

Yes Bill Is Right, 14RCA was an SP unit for a relatively short time....they went backed to towed guns after the Normandy campaign.

Bill wrote:Again, more research may reveal the answers.

Yes research is definitely the answer, and this is an interesting topic. Here is another photo I found. No doubt about the armoured status of these men, they are troopers from the Ontario Regiment (1st Canadian Armoured Brigade) sitting in front of their Sherman tank on a railway flatcar en route from Italy to Northwest Europe. The image was taken in Mouscron, Belgium on 24 March 1945. The toe cleats on the ammo boots of the trooper on the right are clearly shining in the sun, and no hobnails on either of the two middle men.

Rob