USMC Footwear WW2 to early Vietnam

[craig_pickrall]

This is an assortment of foot gear specific to the US Marine Corps from the period 1941 to 1963. If you have additional items please add them.

[craig_pickrall]

[craig_pickrall]

 

These are the USN version.

 

[craig_pickrall]

This is the high top boot adopted by the USMC in the late 40's or early 50's. This pair is dated 1951.

 

 

This is a 1961 and 1963 dated pair that were probably used in the early deployments to Vietnam.

 

[craig_pickrall]

I was lucky enough to get a fairly complete WW2 era USMC footlocker several years ago. There were a few pair of WW2 era boot socks in new condition included.

 

[craig_pickrall]

Various types of leggings.

 

[craig_pickrall]

[craig_pickrall]

[craig_pickrall]

I have never been able to determine if this is an issue USMC shoe brush or if it might be a commerical brush sold by United Shoe Machine Co. If anyone has knowledge of this brush please let me know.

 

[Brig]

Do you happen to have the list of manufactorer markings that were used? I know that when I was shopping for my boondockers, several were stated by members as fakes simply by the codes and numbers not matching. Also, by the types of soles.

[cbuehler]

I am still finding WW2 era USMC leggings, not to mention Army ones, at flea markets and everywhere it seems. They must be one of the most commonly found items of gear from WW2, although I would not expect this to last too much longer. I have a pair of WW2 boondockers that are army contract issue and the markings are overstamped with a small USMC in each boot.

[Brig]

I'm actually having trouble finding USMC marked WWII leggings. If they're common, it's probably because a lot of Marines opted not to wear them in the Pacific either for comfort or heat relief.

[Greg Robinson]

I dug out two of my favorite USMC leggings. The first is the typical pre/early WW2 pattern with bright brass hardware. And these have the early markings:

 

"QUARTERMASTER DEPT / US MARINE CORPS / 1940-1941". This was before they started the "DQP" stampings

 

 

 

 

The second set of leggings are the WW1 pattern and look like the Army M1910's to me. But they have Marine Corps requistion markings.

 

US MARINE CORPS

S&A REQN 156

MARCH 26, 1929

 

[Greg Robinson]

A pair of Korean War insulated rubber boots. Probably warm worn in a fixed position but I'd have hated to have to walk in them any distance.

[craig_pickrall]

Greg, I know we have discussed those boots before but I do not remember which soles they have. Is it the first pattern sole that looks like the M44 Shoe Pac or is it the second pattern sole? The second pattern sole is still used as far as I know.

 

I have a pair like yours that have QMC where your's have USMC.

[Greg Robinson]

Here's a pic. I forgot all that you told me back when I got these and showed them to you. But I do remember that mine lack the pressure release valve seen on modern versions of these. So they're definitely Korean War vintage.

 

I'd like to have a pair of those high top boots worn by Marines in Korea but am not sure of their nomenclature or when they were made. I saw a pair recently on ebay called "M1951" but then I've seen them on the feet of Chosin Reservoir Marine in November-December 1950 so that doesn't sound correct. Whatever they were called somebody paid big bucks for them.

 

[craig_pickrall]

That appears to be the same sole used on the M44 Shoe Pac so it is early. The pressure relief valve is for use on aircraft. The boots were made with and without these valves. I'm not sure when the first valves were added to the design.

 

As for the high top boot I'm not sure when they were first made but they were at the Chosin Reservoir for sure. When I was a kid my next door neighbor was a former USMC Corpsman at the Chosin Reservoir. He gave me his high tops that were worn then and also his P41 shirt that had a stenciled PO 2ND Corpsman rate. I wore the boots until they had to be resoled and then I wore those out too. At that time stitches were busted, etc and I threw them away. STUPID KID!! Later the shirt was in a duffle bag when I had a minor water leak in the basement. The duffle bag was soaked so I threw away the P41 shirt plus several WW2 wool uniforms. STUPID KID!!

[Greg Robinson]

The antique dealer who sold me those boots also had a set dated in the '70's and they had the valve.

 

We all ruined nice stuff back then. My friend who's dad was a Marine Colonel used to wear some of his dad's jackets including one of the USAAF Winter Flying jackets....one of the B series type....with 8th Air Force insignia and ruined it one day when we started a forest fire playing with fireworks. We beat out the fire with that jacket which we later learned had been a gift from a friend of the Colonel's. Even then it was irreplaceable and today it would be worth a ton of money. Needless to say the Colonel was thoroughly PO'd.

 

A French website shows some USMC officer's field shoes that are virtually identical to the Korean War boots which they call the "M1951". Perhaps some of those WW2 boots got reissued early in Korea.

[craig_pickrall]

They are close in design to the WW2 USMC Paratrooper boot. They are black though, not brown.

[Greg Robinson]

I got this pic from Ed Fedder's website who enlisted in the Marine Corps in the mid '50's. He has some nice items in his collection including these 1953 dated high top roughout boots. They are black like you say.

 

[collector]

Here's another pair for the reference section if you want.

 

ENDICOTT JOHNSON

18 NOVEMBER 1953

NOM 62504

[Bebel]

"USMC INSPECTOR" inside marked. This is the only label I can read on these well used shoes.

Size 10 1/2 D

Date unknown. I do not know if the sole design could give any information about the manufacturer or contract.

DEAD LINK 1/15/15

doinworkinvans

[combat-helmets]

Craig,

I can see why you moved my post here!

Fits perfect with your initial posting... Very nice items!!

[craig_pickrall]

I didn't move your thread I just posted a link to this thread. Your thread is still where you posted it.

[etienne]

Hi,

 

trying to confirm the contract date on one pair I had in my collection, I did much research on internet to find shots of the famous USMC boondockers in order to identify the contracts dates, and the way to identify a contractor if the markings are not readable :think:

 

Here's the result of my research, mostly pictures of my own collection :

 

it won't be big news for everyone, but the first point is that all the boondockers are actually built the same as long as you don't see the sole :crying:

 

... but there's a very good way to identify the contractor ... just take a look at the soles: first one is International Shoe Co., second is Endicott Johnson Corp. and the third one is Jos.Hermann Shoe Company.