Footwear with puttees

Chose a major allied nation, look at what they wore and get some of those.
The Soviets received millions of pairs of boots from the Americans and thousands from the British.
Stories tell that the British ammo boot was not popular but what you were given was what you got.
Rough outs and the smooth Garrison shoe were sent by the USA.
Boots were also robbed from the dead of both sides.

What the US sold under Lend lease was a design called "Russian Boot no.2".

This is allegedly a pair. http://www.collect-militaria.com/index/ ... age617.htm

That is one version.
Looks identical to the US 'Garrison' boot.
Smooth leather, toe cap, rubber sole and heel.
They also turn up looking like rough outs without toe cap and like the US boot no.1, smooth leather without toe cap.
The source I read [Pravda]had 15 million pairs shipped to the Soviet Union.
There was a link to the article somewhere.
http://english.pravda.ru/history/12-05- ... osevelt-0/
The actual amounts as a percentage can only be guessed at. Various web sites go between 5 and 10%. Some posters on forums go as low as 3%.
Whatever the truth, ask any commander if he would like to lose even 3% of his effective forces?

Maybe, US boots are, pretty much, a mystery to me.

Coming at things from a reenactment direction we don't allow obviously US or British boots as we're supposed to be reenacting the RKKA.

Acceptable substitutes for the low boots would be either RN deck boots (these have the advantage of being cheap) or the British WW1 B5 boot.

There's loads of types you can browse here. http://www.civilwarboots.com/war_boots.asp Including a copy of a pair from the Irkutsk boot factory - I've got a detailed set of pictures of a pair from there and I'd say the Brit WW1 boot is closer IMO.

Found a pair of Soviet Jackboots for £32, so I might just get them instead, as that's cheaper than any of the low boots i've seen (although sadly not all leather)

http://www.sovietstores.com/soviet-unif ... ther-boots

Assuming you're talking about sapogi (the link doesn't work for me) the enlisted man's boots aren't all leather. It's a rubber sole*, leather foot and then kirza (impregnated canvas) tube around the calf. As well as the size of the boot there's three widths available - but you take what you're given.

*If we're being really hardcore they should have the 'stud' pattern rather than the 'tractor' one. But as these are known as two-year boots for a reason no-one's going to quibble with you over that.

They must have been sold, because I can't find the ones I linked to. Damn! Back to the drawing board.

I didn't know about the half leather (sapogi) so thanks for that, I assumed they would be all leather but obvoiusly I was wrong

Soviet Stores is Tanya, drop her a line and ask if she's likely to get some in any time soon. The key words are 'enlisted man' and 'kirza'.

Coming at things from a reenactment direction we don't allow obviously US or British boots as we're supposed to be reenacting the RKKA.

Would the group allow the use of a Valentine tank or a GMC truck? They were lend lease, just as much a part of RKKA as lendlease boots.
The RKKA was all about lend lease, as much as 10% of their kit came from these sources. It's a little jingoistic to deny it.

The RKKA was all about lend lease, as much as 10% of their kit came from these sources. It's a little jingoistic to deny it.

How can the RKKA be "all about Lend Lease" if only 10% of their kit came from there? Isn't it also a little jingoistic to claim that they were reliant on it?

In general it all depends on what piece of kit you're talking about and the period. e.g. At the beginning of 1943 only around 5%-6% of the RKKA truck park comprised LL models. By the beginniong of 1945 that had risen to about 33%. On the boots issue they were just as likely, possibly more so, to end up on the feet of a VOKhR nightwatchman as on the feet of a Krasnoarmyets.

If someone offered us a vehicle, of any type, we'd only take it if;

1. it fitted with our display
2. we could actually use it for something other than 'ooo look at that'

This Moscow based dealer has a selection of footwear including botki.

Whole footwear section http://voenspec.ru/index.php?categoryID=204&offset=0

Enlisted sapogi with the studded soles http://voenspec.ru/product/sapogi-yalov ... shvoi-979/

...and, apparently, with the naval infantry soles http://voenspec.ru/product/sapogi-yalovye--41/

IIRC there are about 50 rubles to the pount at the mo'.

We've never used them so can't vouch for what might happen...

.
Anyone know any alternate footwear/ where to get the botinki?

You could always find a pair of old British BCH (Boots, Combat, High / Boots, Cardboard, Horrible), lightly scuff all of the surface off down to the grey leather, and re-dub them up brown. They'd look very similar indeed.

For a closer match, try the British WWI B5 boot that SoF sell...

Comrades,
If you use the same time and trouble to source Scale of issue as you use for any Direction of Interest you will not do wrong, take a short cut and well.... you become "Покемон" Pokemon.

And KOMSTITCH deals with Pokemoni.

The Red Army Direction is not easy to conform to, but it is an honourable one, treat it as such .

I've settled on the East German Jackboots, which I have bought second hand.

Kinda makes me a 'pokemon' then

I've settled on the East German Jackboots, which I have bought second hand.

Kinda makes me a 'pokemon' then

Tak Tochno! Comrade Komrade, but as it is for Progressive Air soft you could plea bargain for your Crimes against Red Army Dress Regulations, not that KOMSTITCH will fail to expend the State Issue of lead to solve the problem.

Use Other ranks NVA Field Boots not the smooth officer ones, they will look more Soviet than the Officer style ridding boots.

Don't worry Comrade Kommissar, the way I got these boots was from killing and looting a German!

Onwards to Berlin!

Heh, actually he got them from another soviet...

sssshhhh