By the famous German costume designer Hugo. Boss and SS officer Karl . The German uniforms designed by the two Dubizzi are handsome compared with military uniforms that basically continue the characteristics of World War I, such as Britain, France and the United States. The domineering M35 helmet, plus the tall and slim gray-green military uniform, coupled with tough and fierce black leather boots, is majestic and heroic, if not fascist or not the invader, in terms of pleasing to the eye, the German military uniform is 100% the first military uniform in World War II.
Speaking of the German army’s black leather boots, not just for heroic handsomeness, the role played by the long boots in the trench warfare of World War I, so that the German army trusted the high leather boots very much, that is, this kind of looking bulky and airtight high boots, so that the German soldiers in the muddy and wet and even waterlogged trenches, to avoid the smelly and itchy until festering “trench feet” appeared. At the same time, this kind of boots can also effectively protect the ankles, prevent sediment and gravel from entering the shoes, and the waterproof performance is also very good.
Before World War II, the Germans still felt that the focus of the war would be mainly trench operations, so when designing the new military uniform, the style of tall leather boots was retained, but some details were improved, named “marching boots”. This kind of boots are made of cowhide, early marching boots are relatively fine regardless of the workmanship, the overall height of this boot is 40 cm, the toe and heel are inlaid with a U-shaped iron, the sole is connected by iron studs, which increases the wear resistance of the boot and makes the boot very strong as a whole, and the anti-slip aspect is also enhanced.
However, the high leather boots are warm and strong, but the heavy mass is simply torture for soldiers on a long march, especially in hot climates, thanks to the German mechanization is relatively strong, there are a large number of motorcycles, sidecars, trips, truck crawlers and other vehicles can be used to transport soldiers, otherwise the soldiers who marched to Germany in a hurry would have to complain for days.
By 1939, the height of the German army had dropped the height of the marching boots to 30 cm for actual battlefield needs, and this improved version of the “short military boots” was tucked into the boots by the trouser legs, and special leggings could be worn outside. In fact, after a period of time in World War II, many soldiers in the German army wore long-barreled and short-barreled military boots in a certain proportion.
With the development of the war to 1943, Germany’s advantage on the battlefield can only be described as follows, strategic materials are extremely scarce, in order to save resources as much as possible, the marching boots made of cowhide were replaced with low-cost M44 military boots, which are very similar in appearance to the paratrooper boots of the paratroopers, but far inferior in quality and comfort, and even the materials have become made of artificial leather, and even the black paint is not brushed. It can be seen how much the pressure of the war was at that time, so much so that the tradition of the German army to come to meticulous work was abandoned.