History

The German Wehrmacht was composed of three main branches, the Heer, the Kriegsmarine, and the Luftwaffe. The Heer and Kriegsmarine uniforms were based upon the designs utilized by their predecessor organizations, the Deutsches Heer and t/he Kaiserliche Marine. Conversely, the Luftwaffe uniforms were based upon the uniforms worn in the sports and para-military organizations that were the forerunners of the Luftwaffe. The Luftwaffe uniforms were specifically designed to deviate from the designs of the other Wehrmacht service branches. It was also necessary that the uniforms differentiate between military and civilian pilots.

The tropical canvas anklets were worn by Luftwaffe personnel serving in tropical locales, such as North Africa.

Luftwaffe troops serving in tropical climates were permitted to wear these canvas anklets, or tropical lace-up boots, as part of their tropical uniform.

They are composed of a combination of brown leather and tan coloured cloth, with steel tips and studs on the shoe soles.

The shoe size and manufacturer may be stamped into the interior leather sections, or stamped on a tag which was sewn into interior cloth lining.