Original Items: Only One Pair Available. This is a lovely “salty” service used set of pre / early war fleece lined Brown leather German Luftwaffe Airman’s Flying Boots. This is the first example we had had in the early brown color, with all other examples being black. As with others smooth leather is used for the shoe area and suede for the shafts. There are unfortunately no inner labels that could find indicating that maker or size, which are usually at the top. The zippers are completely original, however the right boot has lost the pull tab on the slider. The left side is still intact and is marked ZIPP and 449421 / D.R.P., definitive markings for German made boots.
These boots look to have seen long service during the war, and maybe even afterwards, as both have repairs on the back where another piece of leather was grafted on. There is also a 6 inch long tear through the suede on one boot, and both show moth damage to the fleece lined interior. The rubber soles show quite a bit of wear and deterioration, common for early rubber formulations. These are definitely a set for display only, and not for wearing.
The boots measure approximately 16 1/2 inches tall from the heel to the top of the shaft, and the soles are both 12 1/2 inches long from heel to the tip of the toe. As best we can tell the exterior body of the boots measure 11 1/2 inches from the back of the heels to the front of the toe boxes.
These would make a very nice addition to a Luftwaffe or Battle of Britain collection!
The Luftwaffe was the air force of Germany prior to and during World War II. Luftwaffe styles of uniform and rank insignia had many unique features between 1935 and 1945. By decision on February 26, 1935, the Luftwaffe was to be officially the third branch of the Wehrmacht as of March 1, 1935. The new Luftwaffe was faced with the problem of uniforms, as they wanted a uniform distinct from those of the other two branches of the Wehrmacht (Heer and Kriegsmarine) and also wanted a clear differentiation in dress of military and civilian flyers.