M38 Low boots.

[Oberschutze]

Hello,

Recently i decided to start collecting WW2 era Red/ Soviet army equipment, so i had chance to buy these low boots. Unfortunately i have more knowledge about WW2 german equipment. A few questions that are on my mind. Are these authentic or reproduction boots for reenactment, and were they made prior or during WW2, and is there any way to tell that? Thanks in advance.
With best regards,

[Asjemenou]

I do not think they are reproductions. This shoe model was in production well after the war. Take a look at this website; WW2 war combat boots pimples dot soles reenactment soldier military uniform
Your shoes may date from 1978. Even though they are post-war, they are a nice replacement for a hard-to-find WWII pair of shoes.

[Oberschutze]

I do not think they are reproductions. This shoe model was in production well after the war. Take a look at this website; WW2 war combat boots pimples dot soles reenactment soldier military uniform
Your shoes may date from 1978. Even though they are post-war, they are a nice replacement for a hard-to-find WWII pair of shoes.

Allright- thank you! I guess if someone starts to collect gear they need to start from bottom. I always wrongly presumed that in Soviet union after the war they switched to the Kirza boots. Was this sole pattern only used by military?

[Asjemenou]

Tricky theme. The low ankle boots (ботинки) were already in use by the Russian tsarist army. They were worn by soldiers in combination with puttees.
Although I am not entirely sure, after the outbreak of the war in 1941 the ankle boots are said to have been worn by service troops and the "kirza" jack boots (сапоги) by combatant troops.
On these sites you can read something about the footwear of the Soviet-Russian soldier; Russian Boots WW2 Soviet Reenactment Riding Boots Red Army and Обувь в Красной Армии 1940-1945 гг. — Истребители танков в Красной Армии
There is also something to be found on the Russian WWII forum; https://forum.ww2.ru/index.php?showtopic=4664394 .
I read about batches of shoes that were requisitioned by the Soviet army and even the stories of soldiers who wore their private shoes due to lack of the right size army boots. Stories like this do not make defining Soviet WWII military footwear any easier.
Based on the range of footwear on the website "Russian boots", I conclude that the low ankle boots were produced until the 1970's.
The later post-war versions had a rubber sole with a tractor tire profile.
The rubber soles with the earlier stud profile were used on both the ankle boots and the jack boots.
They seem to me to have been intended for military footwear and not for civilian shoes.

As mentioned before, a tricky subject. Additions to this theme are therefore certainly welcome.

[Asjemenou]

Although I am not entirely sure, after the outbreak of the war in 1941 the ankle boots are said to have been worn by service troops and the "kirza" jack boots (сапоги) by combatant troops.

An addition to my previous comment. In the first paragraph of the aforementioned website Обувь в Красной Армии 1940-1945 гг. — Истребители танков в Красной Армии , a few things are written about the provision of footwear to soldiers of the Red Army.

[Oberschutze]

An addition to my previous comment. In the first paragraph of the aforementioned website Обувь в Красной Армии 1940-1945 гг. — Истребители танков в Красной Армии , a few things are written about the provision of footwear to soldiers of the Red Army.

Thanks for the links, even if they are in russian i have no problem with that, since i am from Baltic region and can read and speak in russian. To be honest i myself actually have never found a Kirza material jackboots while recovering bunkers on Soviet positions of late 1944./45., majority of the boot parts and lowboot remains (complete footwear is uncommon-mostly parts left from field repairs) themselves are Lend- lease U.S. made, i had found the rubber soles they used on M38 boots but very rarely.