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The canvas and leather Tropical Combat Boots were developed at the end of the Second World war (1944) and put into manufacturing in summer 1945 - too late for mass production. The next war in Korea (1950-1953) took place on the territory of temperate to cold climate, not in hot, wet and humid areas, so the Pentagon apparently had very little interest in the further development of "jungle" boots concept.
In some other countries the situation was some different. The "Palladium®"-made canvas/rubber "jungle" boots (based on the concept of American M-1942 "jungle" boots) were widely used by the French colonial troops during the First Indochina war (1946-1954). These "Palladium®"-type boots came in different variants and were also used during the Algerian war (1954-1962).
But the situation radically changed during the conflict in Vietnam. Already the beginning of involvement of US military in Vietnam showed the urgent necessity of the specialized footwear for tropical climate and gave new life to the old idea. In the early years of that conflict, some U.S. military units were supplied with the "Okinawa boots" (M-1945 Tropical Combat Boots), but most of them had to use their conventional standard all-leather combat boots, which actually were not suited to the conditions of hot, wet and humid tropical climate.
Some U.S. advisors, which were arriving to Vietnam from the American military base in Okinawa, Japan, wore the so-called "Okinawa boots" of the WW II, some stocks of these "jungle" boots were shipped to Vietnam and issued there. But soon it was found out that these boots performed quite poorly after the 20 years of storage and soon tended to deterioration. Other advisors had to wear all-leather combat boots as well as most the U.S. Army and U.S.M.C. troops at that time.
The model of the U.S. military "jungle" boots, which embodied the experience of using the previous models "jungle" boots and the improvements developed for tropical climates footwear over the last 20 years was tested in 1962-1965 and adopted in the year 1965. It became widely known as "M-1966 (M-66) Jungle Boot". The developers of this model decided to get rid of the double-buckles leather cuffs on the top of the boots; the design of these boots provided the toe and the counter made of black leather, the upper made of cotton canvas duck with nylon reinforcements for the boot's neck. The nomenclature of M-1966 (M-66) "jungle" boots was "Boots, Hot Weather" - "Boot, Combat, Tropical, Mildew Resistant".
More pics at: http://cartalana.com/002-143.php#0066ba
The new M-66 "jungle" boot featured "Vibram®"-type lugged composition rubber DMS (Direct Molded Sole, i.e. strongly vulcanized to the leather toe and heel cap). Actually the DMS technology was developed by "Wellco®" ("Ro-Search®" Lab),
one of the major contractors of the U.S. Ministry of Defense (U.S. MoD), which produced about 5 thousand pairs of "jungle" boots per day in the mid of 1960s. As the Direct Molded Sole was part of the "jungle" boots design, this technology was licensed to multiple other U.S. MoD contractors for additional production, because there was urgent need in mass production of these boots for American troops in Vietnam.
These boots were intended to be used with removable ventilating "SARAN®" insoles made of fused layers of PVDC (Polyvinylidene chloride) plastic mesh screen, first invented back in the year 1942.
These boots also featured built-in double screened eyelets at the inside shank of each boot. These brass drainage eyelets were intended to allow water to drain out and to permit air to reach the feet inside the boots. The early version "jungle" boots with DMS featured sunken ventilation and water drain ports (Figure 1), because these first type boots were supplied with removable rubber plugs, which could be used to prevent ingress of outside water into the boots, in case of need.
Figure 1 and other pics - see http://cartalana.com/002-144.php
This feature proved to be impractical, so next versions of "jungle" boots lacked these rubber taps, and the form of brass drainage and ventilation eyelets was simplified.
The need for protection from Viet Minh and Viet Cong traps containing "Punji" sticks (sharpened bamboo sticks two or three feet high and often dipped in dung to infect the tip, stuck into the ground at an angle so as to puncture the foot of an enemy soldier) was first recognized by the French colonial troops during the First Indochina war (1946-1954). This fact was rediscovered by American forces in the early 1960s, as the Vietnamese guerrillas still used to set their favorite time-proven "Punji" stake traps, that caused multiple foot injuries to U.S. forces. Punji tilt boards can fly up out of nowhere at a victim's face and chest.
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As the whole text is too long, please use "Back" and "Forward" arrows at the bottom to see the next and the previous pages, the photos are clickeable (right button of the mouse - open in new tab)...
Other Vietnam era military boots reviews:
US "Jungle" Boots with "Vibram®"-type out-soles - http://cartalana.com/002-145.php#0067ba
US "Jungle" Boots with "Panama"-type out-soles - http://cartalana.com/002-148.php#0068ba
In some other countries the situation was some different. The "Palladium®"-made canvas/rubber "jungle" boots (based on the concept of American M-1942 "jungle" boots) were widely used by the French colonial troops during the First Indochina war (1946-1954). These "Palladium®"-type boots came in different variants and were also used during the Algerian war (1954-1962).
But the situation radically changed during the conflict in Vietnam. Already the beginning of involvement of US military in Vietnam showed the urgent necessity of the specialized footwear for tropical climate and gave new life to the old idea. In the early years of that conflict, some U.S. military units were supplied with the "Okinawa boots" (M-1945 Tropical Combat Boots), but most of them had to use their conventional standard all-leather combat boots, which actually were not suited to the conditions of hot, wet and humid tropical climate.
Some U.S. advisors, which were arriving to Vietnam from the American military base in Okinawa, Japan, wore the so-called "Okinawa boots" of the WW II, some stocks of these "jungle" boots were shipped to Vietnam and issued there. But soon it was found out that these boots performed quite poorly after the 20 years of storage and soon tended to deterioration. Other advisors had to wear all-leather combat boots as well as most the U.S. Army and U.S.M.C. troops at that time.
The model of the U.S. military "jungle" boots, which embodied the experience of using the previous models "jungle" boots and the improvements developed for tropical climates footwear over the last 20 years was tested in 1962-1965 and adopted in the year 1965. It became widely known as "M-1966 (M-66) Jungle Boot". The developers of this model decided to get rid of the double-buckles leather cuffs on the top of the boots; the design of these boots provided the toe and the counter made of black leather, the upper made of cotton canvas duck with nylon reinforcements for the boot's neck. The nomenclature of M-1966 (M-66) "jungle" boots was "Boots, Hot Weather" - "Boot, Combat, Tropical, Mildew Resistant".
More pics at: http://cartalana.com/002-143.php#0066ba
The new M-66 "jungle" boot featured "Vibram®"-type lugged composition rubber DMS (Direct Molded Sole, i.e. strongly vulcanized to the leather toe and heel cap). Actually the DMS technology was developed by "Wellco®" ("Ro-Search®" Lab),
one of the major contractors of the U.S. Ministry of Defense (U.S. MoD), which produced about 5 thousand pairs of "jungle" boots per day in the mid of 1960s. As the Direct Molded Sole was part of the "jungle" boots design, this technology was licensed to multiple other U.S. MoD contractors for additional production, because there was urgent need in mass production of these boots for American troops in Vietnam.
These boots were intended to be used with removable ventilating "SARAN®" insoles made of fused layers of PVDC (Polyvinylidene chloride) plastic mesh screen, first invented back in the year 1942.
These boots also featured built-in double screened eyelets at the inside shank of each boot. These brass drainage eyelets were intended to allow water to drain out and to permit air to reach the feet inside the boots. The early version "jungle" boots with DMS featured sunken ventilation and water drain ports (Figure 1), because these first type boots were supplied with removable rubber plugs, which could be used to prevent ingress of outside water into the boots, in case of need.
Figure 1 and other pics - see http://cartalana.com/002-144.php
This feature proved to be impractical, so next versions of "jungle" boots lacked these rubber taps, and the form of brass drainage and ventilation eyelets was simplified.
The need for protection from Viet Minh and Viet Cong traps containing "Punji" sticks (sharpened bamboo sticks two or three feet high and often dipped in dung to infect the tip, stuck into the ground at an angle so as to puncture the foot of an enemy soldier) was first recognized by the French colonial troops during the First Indochina war (1946-1954). This fact was rediscovered by American forces in the early 1960s, as the Vietnamese guerrillas still used to set their favorite time-proven "Punji" stake traps, that caused multiple foot injuries to U.S. forces. Punji tilt boards can fly up out of nowhere at a victim's face and chest.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
As the whole text is too long, please use "Back" and "Forward" arrows at the bottom to see the next and the previous pages, the photos are clickeable (right button of the mouse - open in new tab)...
Other Vietnam era military boots reviews:
US "Jungle" Boots with "Vibram®"-type out-soles - http://cartalana.com/002-145.php#0067ba
US "Jungle" Boots with "Panama"-type out-soles - http://cartalana.com/002-148.php#0068ba
