New boots are made for operations
22 Feb 08
After a soldier's gun, his or her boots are probably their most vital bit of kit. And if they don't do their job properly, he – or she – can't do his or hers. But frontline troops are now getting a better choice of footwear.
Smart move: Meindl boots will make life more comfortable
[Picture: MOD]
Following trials last autumn, two new kinds of boot will be offered to troops heading for the front-line in Afghanistan and Iraq.
The Meindl and Lowa heavy-duty desert boots will cope with the desert heat, as well as being easier to wear and "break in" than traditional hard leather footwear.
Many young squaddies will have grown up wearing trainers or other soft shoes at home, and putting on hard leather squarebashers can be a shock.
Colonel Silas Suchanek, leader of the Defence Clothing project team, said:
"We were looking for boots that would minimise the impact of working in temperatures that can go as high as 50° centigrade, that would provide support to the foot when carrying heavy loads, and that could withstand the rigours of operating in conditions ranging from sandy desert to very abrasive stony ground."
"We were looking for boots that would minimise the impact of working in temperatures that can go as high as 50° centigrade."
Colonel Silas Suchanek, Defence Clothing project team
22 different makes of boot were tested, and Colonel Suchanek says the two types finally selected should provide soldiers with a good compromise between support and comfort. Having two different makes means a wider choice of fit is available.
The Meindl combat boot is already being issued to all troops who require it, and there are plenty in stock. The Lowa boot will be available to all combat troops, although until MOD has built up stocks, priority will go to those in the dismounted combat role.
A variety of the Lowa boot designed specifically for women will also be available. Until now women soldiers have had to make do with men's boots, which are often too wide at the heel.
There are also two types of winter footwear available. The Prabos cold wet weather boot has a stiffer sole and is the one generally used for operations. While the Iturri cold wet weather boot has a softer sole and is more widely used for recruit training.
All about... Military footwear
- Roman soldiers used hobnailed sandals to fight in (archaeologists suspect they were worn with socks in cold weather)
- Ankle-height ammunition ("ammo") boots with nailed soles were worn by generations of British Army soldiers
- Puttees – strips of cloth wound round the leg above low boots – were used by the British Army in 1914, and were still being issued in the Falklands nearly 70 years later
- BCH (Boot Combat High) became standard issue a few years after the Falklands war, bringing the UK into line with other NATO forces
