Boot problem

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Swing
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Boot problem

#1

Post by Swing » 03 Feb 2021, 08:12

According to many war diaries, Finnish soldiers in the summer of 1944 had a lot of problems with their boots. Dozens of soldiers rubbed their feet, and as a result they were forced to walk barefoot. What is the reason for this phenomenon?

Mangrove
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Re: Boot problem

#2

Post by Mangrove » 03 Feb 2021, 19:58

Could you give examples (and links) of such war diaries?


veeteetee
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Re: Boot problem

#3

Post by veeteetee » 03 Feb 2021, 23:54

Finnish army used leather boots w/o laces and the boots were more or less "universal" i.e. rather loose. Foot wraps ("jalkarätti") were used instead of socks and required a certain degree of skill in wrapping if blisters were to be avoided. In the summer of 1944 troops walked tens of kilometers per day and foot problems were more or less unavoidable. I doubt whether any official war diaries would mention this. However, the problem is often mentioned in private war memoirs, my grandfathers´s included. Pictures of marching soldiers are plentiful at sa-kuva.fi and if you look closely at their boots the situation is easy to understand.

Swing
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Re: Boot problem

#4

Post by Swing » 04 Feb 2021, 07:53

Mangrove wrote:
03 Feb 2021, 19:58
Could you give examples (and links) of such war diaries?
example1 (time 2:50)
http://digi.narc.fi/digi/view.ka?kuid=3500035
example 2 (time 17:30)
http://digi.narc.fi/digi/view.ka?kuid=3247225
if you need, I can indicate another ones
Last edited by Swing on 04 Feb 2021, 08:07, edited 1 time in total.

Swing
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Re: Boot problem

#5

Post by Swing » 04 Feb 2021, 07:59

veeteetee wrote:
03 Feb 2021, 23:54
Finnish army used leather boots w/o laces and the boots were more or less "universal" i.e. rather loose. Foot wraps ("jalkarätti") were used instead of socks and required a certain degree of skill in wrapping if blisters were to be avoided. In the summer of 1944 troops walked tens of kilometers per day and foot problems were more or less unavoidable. I doubt whether any official war diaries would mention this. However, the problem is often mentioned in private war memoirs, my grandfathers´s included. Pictures of marching soldiers are plentiful at sa-kuva.fi and if you look closely at their boots the situation is easy to understand.
What about this picture from "Asepuku m/36"?
boots.jpg

veeteetee
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Re: Boot problem

#6

Post by veeteetee » 04 Feb 2021, 17:42

Again, browse sa-kuva.fi for PERIOD photos.

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JTV
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Re: Boot problem

#7

Post by JTV » 04 Feb 2021, 22:00

Swing wrote:
04 Feb 2021, 07:59
What about this picture from "Asepuku m/36"?boots.jpg
Those are short boots m/34. They were being manufactured and issued along more common leather jackboots.
Some info: http://www.jaegerplatoon.net/UNIFORMS4.htm#BOOTS

Also according pre-war test soldiers issued soldiers who had been issued short boots m/34 suffered less blisters in their feet than those issued with standard issue jackboots. Doing long foot marches day after day is very hard on feet - even with modern boots, which are much more comfortable than World War 2 era military boots.

In general there as quite a wide variety of boots issued by Finnish military during World War 2: http://www.jaegerplatoon.net/UNIFORMS5.htm#EXPERIENCES

Swing
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Re: Boot problem

#8

Post by Swing » 05 Feb 2021, 08:00

JTV wrote:
04 Feb 2021, 22:00
Swing wrote:
04 Feb 2021, 07:59
What about this picture from "Asepuku m/36"?boots.jpg
Those are short boots m/34. They were being manufactured and issued along more common leather jackboots.
Some info: http://www.jaegerplatoon.net/UNIFORMS4.htm#BOOTS

Also according pre-war test soldiers issued soldiers who had been issued short boots m/34 suffered less blisters in their feet than those issued with standard issue jackboots. Doing long foot marches day after day is very hard on feet - even with modern boots, which are much more comfortable than World War 2 era military boots.

In general there as quite a wide variety of boots issued by Finnish military during World War 2: http://www.jaegerplatoon.net/UNIFORMS5.htm#EXPERIENCES
Thank you! You are the greatest! :)

Mangrove
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Re: Boot problem

#9

Post by Mangrove » 16 Feb 2021, 23:34

Swing wrote:
03 Feb 2021, 08:12
Dozens of soldiers rubbed their feet, and as a result they were forced to walk barefoot. What is the reason for this phenomenon?
I haven't encountered any specific Finnish studies of foot problems during the retreat phase of the summer of 1944. However, general assumptions can be made based on earlier pre-war and wartime studies (such as one made in 1942).

I would assume much of the Finnish troops had grew unaccustomed to physical training and marches during the trench warfare period in 1942-1944. Much of the marching during the retreat phase was done by forced foot march under stressful conditions. Soldiers did not care or had time to take care of their feet during few march breaks. Also, troops had to carry relatively much of their equipment on their backs instead of some of the equipment being transported by lorries or trains.

Swing
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Re: Boot problem

#10

Post by Swing » 18 Feb 2021, 20:07

Suurkiitos!

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