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Normandy found German brown ankle boot and restoration.

Article about: This post could be under be placed under either of the Battlefield Archeology or Restoration titles but as it was battlefield found, I put it under this reference. I dug this German ankle bo

  1. #1

    Default Normandy found German brown ankle boot and restoration.

    This post could be under be placed under either of the Battlefield Archeology or Restoration titles but as it was battlefield found, I put it under this reference.
    I dug this German ankle boot last year in Normandy, the first photo shows it being discovered and slowly dug around to uncover it. It was an overcast day and with the lack of light and the fact the leather was very wet and dirty, I thought it was a black ankle boot !

    The next photo's show the boot after I'd carefully removed it from its resting place for the last 63 years. As you can see no lace had survived.

    Once home I gave it a good wash in cold water to remove all of the mud and I then packed the inside of the boot with newspaper. This was not only to aid the internal drying but also to restore the boots correct shape following long burial. I then left it to slowly dry in a cool place. This took around 3 weeks and then I discovered it was brown. Sadly but half expected the layers of leather made up of the sole and heal started to part as they dried. But all peices were kept and once dried were reglued together. I then gave the sole and heal a good thick coating of mat varnish not only to protect the remains of the steel studs but also to make it stronger and help keep it together.

    I prefer to leave the leather top in a hard but inert state, I realise I could have used dubbin etc to soften it but decided because its now dry and strong, all it needed to finish the restoration was several coats of bees wax to protect the surface. Whilst doing this I noticed several deep scratches on its surface, picked up I guess whilst in use and most probably in action 'if only it could speak!'.

    For reference it has seven lace holes, the first three are lined with alumimium and the last four (obviously they took the greater strain) are made of steel. I was surprised that this doesn't have a heal iron as such, but has a crescent of studs around the outside of the heal. As expected most of the stitching has perished but its still strong held by its rivets.
    And finally to finish the restoration I added a nice leather boot lace, laced in the correct manner of course .

    Luckystrike
    Click to enlarge the picture Click to enlarge the picture Normandy found German brown ankle boot and restoration.   Normandy found German brown ankle boot and restoration.  

    Normandy found German brown ankle boot and restoration.   Normandy found German brown ankle boot and restoration.  

    Normandy found German brown ankle boot and restoration.   Normandy found German brown ankle boot and restoration.  

    Normandy found German brown ankle boot and restoration.   Normandy found German brown ankle boot and restoration.  


  2. #2
    ?

    Default Re: Normandy found German brown ankle boot and restoration.

    I have seen a lot of restored battlefield items, but among them there
    where no boots ... you did an outstanding job !!!

    Did you look around if there is maybe the second one?

  3. #3
    ?

    Default Re: Normandy found German brown ankle boot and restoration.

    I don't tihink that there is one more, it;s just a piece of the boot
    Regards,
    Dimas

    my Skype: warrelics

  4. #4

    Default Re: Normandy found German brown ankle boot and restoration.

    Ostmark thanks for your reply, yes I did have a good look around but just couldn't find the other one, but it doesn't mean its not there somewhere.
    However this year I actually found another, but this time a German black ankle boot for the left foot again. But this one has some nasty battle damage so I'll post pictures soon. It actualy tells a little story.
    Luckystrike

  5. #5

    Default Re: Normandy found German brown ankle boot and restoration.

    Awesome job done there mate , unfortunitly leather is always a hard one to keep in good condition , but youv done well i think , cheers Raymond

  6. #6

    Default Re: Normandy found German brown ankle boot and restoration.

    Footprints of these types of boots can be found on basicly every bunker floor in Normandy. Guess they were a bit to eager to enter the bunkers before the concrete hade dried.

  7. #7

    Thumbs up Re: Normandy found German brown ankle boot and restoration.

    Hi Luckystrike


    Thank you for posting, interesting read. You did an outstanding job by restoring it...


    Greetz

    Nick VR

  8. #8

    Default Re: Normandy found German brown ankle boot and restoration.

    Hello,
    This ankle boot is not german...sorry


    The sacrifice of life is a huge sacrifice, there is only one that is more terrible, the sacrifice of honor

    In Memoriam :
    Laurent Huart (1964-2008)

  9. #9

    Default Re: Normandy found German brown ankle boot and restoration.

    Quote by LUCKYSTRIKE View Post
    Ostmark thanks for your reply, yes I did have a good look around but just couldn't find the other one, but it doesn't mean its not there somewhere.
    However this year I actually found another, but this time a German black ankle boot for the left foot again. But this one has some nasty battle damage so I'll post pictures soon. It actualy tells a little story.
    Luckystrike
    Great clean up job Lucky! But do you ever notice, when going down some road you just see 'one' lost shoe in the road? Not a pair?

  10. #10

    Default Re: Normandy found German brown ankle boot and restoration.

    Yes I know exactly what you mean about single boots, over the years I've found four different boots and none were found as a pair. All were used by German forces. As we know German forces numbered many millions and included many other nationalities using various equipment and boot designs. I even found one wooden soled version of a boot, in the position of a former German field dressing station in Normandy. My first thoughts were a wooden sole it cant be German, but I later found photo's of German forces pulling out of Upper Silesia (Jan-May 1945) wearing exactly the same wooden soled boots.
    Just to make this reply a bit more interesting I attach a few more photo's of some of the other items that came out of the hole that yielded the German brown boot including an MG15 Mag, bayonet Scabbards, bullet proof glass, MG42 oiler, tent pegs, part of potato masher grenade etc etc.
    I also attach a couple of photo's of yet another German boot that I found this year, I've ecided to leave this in as found condition. I'll only varnish the sole to protect its rusted steel studs. Notice the horrific tear caused by shrapnel into the side and a small peice also hit the front of the boot. You can also see that part of the ankle of the boot particularily the other side has been cut off neatly by a very sharpe knife. I'm preety certain this was carried out to enable the badly wounded foot to be pulled out as easily and painlessly as possible. This was found just lying on the surface with only 64 years of leaf mould around it and proves its still out there if you look.
    LUCKYSTRIKE.
    Click to enlarge the picture Click to enlarge the picture Normandy found German brown ankle boot and restoration.   Normandy found German brown ankle boot and restoration.  

    Normandy found German brown ankle boot and restoration.   Normandy found German brown ankle boot and restoration.  

    Normandy found German brown ankle boot and restoration.   Normandy found German brown ankle boot and restoration.  


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