Photographic evidence of early v. late production officer boots

[iannima]

I NEVER mind a boot thread being resurrected
I must confess I am a bit puzzled by your description: the boot on the left of the first photographs with which I started this thread is the only one that I can think of, but you say it is different. Have you got means of showing us a photograph?

[Mike G.]

eastgermansks,

If you can email photos to one of our associate members, they in turn can post the photos to this thread for you.

[eastgermansks]

I decided to just join and be an association member being as i read posts every day and would like to post some of uniforms. Here some pics hopefully this works. Thanks Luke.

[eastgermansks]

view of sole

[eastgermansks]

Let me know what you guys think. Thank for any input, Luke.

[iannima]

I think that it is the same type of boot as the one on the left in the first photograph of this thread, except that they had run out of the stick-on rubber sole for the foot and only had it for the heel. Those rubber bits are meant to be replaceable. It is the advantage of a leather soled boot over a rubber-soled one: it can be regenerated much more easily.
In terms of dates I cannot add more to what I have already said elsewhere in this thread: they must date from the 1960s but exactly when, I have never managed to find a way of establishing with any degree of confidence.

[eastgermansks]

My only question to that would be let's say i theoretically could find a rubber pad for the sole, it would seem to me that that would make the sole to thick or am i mistaken on how theses boots are constructed. Another way of putting it would be is what if someone removed the rubber pad--would it look identically the the sole on me boot?

[iannima]

Originally Posted by eastgermansks

if someone removed the rubber pad--would it look identically the the sole on me boot?

I suspect the answer is probably yes, although the sole would have been roughed up to make the rubber stick, and would not be as nice as yours is.
I am the first one to say that they are a bit odd, but only a bit, and oddities of this type are common in DDR production, so I would not make too much of it.

[Drugo]

Here's for sure the best pair of boots I managed to acquire till now... Officer, smooth leather boots, marked MdI (it's my second pair of old MdI boots!), dated 1961. They have a very high shaft (at least 42cm...), a one-piece leather sole kept by wooden pegs, and metal cleats at the toes. The quality and construction is one of the best I've ever seen on these early NVA boots, which by themselves are already of high-standard manufacture... might been worn by some general, or high-ranking officer?

And here some iannima-style pictures for comparison, with another pair of MdI officer boots from 1962 and a late NVA rubber sole example from 1987. All of them are in size 29,5:

Regards,
Drugo

[iannima]

Originally Posted by Drugo

And here some iannima-style pictures for comparison,
Regards,
Drugo

Much have you learned... my young apprentice... ...

[Walter Schmidt]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/190612608171...#ht_500wt_1059
I just bought these and waiting for them to come in the mail, but these are late issue officer's right?
Also, who would have used them and with what, besides the obvious? Could I do something like this with them?

And

(Repost of Torsten's pic)

[iannima]

Originally Posted by Walter Schmidt

these are late issue officer's right?
Also, Could I do something like this with them?

Yes and yes

[Walter Schmidt]

The boots arrived in good condition, but one of the boots was a bit flimsy (too much oiling?) and they were both somewhat crinkled. I would also like to polish them.

What products have been known to work well on DDR officer's boots and what should I watch out for?
Thanks!

[iannima]

This Ebay auction has just closed and I stress that I did NOT bid ... but perhaps someone here did...
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1708926999...ht_3585wt_1168
...however... as these are arguably one of the rarest known examples of Enlisted Men boots, I thought that the photographs needed to be saved for posterity:



You will notice the wide unlined flare of the shaft consistent with later conscript boots. The peculiarity is the leather sole with metal cleats, which I had noticed in numerous period photographs, but until now, no modern photographic evidence had yet surfaced to support the historical one. They are dated 1960 both in the shaft and on the sole.
An important missing link in the history of DDR boots has now been found and it joins the patrimony of shared knowledge entrusted to this collective...
Hurrah! Hurrah! Hurrah!