Jump boot

Bates Enforcer Series 11" side zip Paratrooper Jump Boots

The jump boot is a type of combat boot that was the first such type to be cordwained with high-legged uppers before modern issue combat boots became modern issue, and it is exclusive to Paratroopers and soldiers of the Airborne Forces. In modern times, nearly all combat boots are fully laced, therefore modern jump boots are mainly worn as dress and parade boots. The uppers of jump boots are generally made of smooth black leather, and they are cordwained with toe-caps and heel counters that accept a high polish, also called a "spit-shine" or "spittle-shine."

Description

Jump boots are fully laced from the instep to the top and give more support to the wearer's ankles, whereas ordinary combat boots during World War II were laced just above the ankle, and thus had to be worn with leggings or puttees to prevent snow, rain, mud, and dirt from entering the boot. Some types of jump boots are constructed with zippers on their inner sides, to facilitate pull-on and removal.

Users

Germany

During WW2, the Fallschirmjager wore jump boots with side lacing. Side laced boots were also used by Czechoslovak Paratroopers after 1945.

Brazil

Brazilian Paratroopers wear brown leather jump boots manufactured by Atalaia.

Portugal

Jump Boots in Portugal are manufactured by Proheral and are laced in a distinctive way not only for traditions but to increase ankle support during a parachute jump. In Portugal it is a tradition to have jump boots laced a particular way. While these boots are sometimes worn by non-paratroopers in Portugal, only paratroopers wear them with surplus green paracord instead of the usual black string. On parade, they are usually worn with white paracord.

Spain

The Boot paratrooper, or BRIPAC boots (Spanish: BOTAS MARCA IMEPIEL, DE LA BRIPAC) As its name suggests and defines, was a boot own exclusive to paratrooper units. It lacked the triple buckles (for obvious reasons, trying to jump in not providing the strings or winds bell parachute could get dangerously hooked on them), which was slightly higher than the issue three buckles for, among other things, give the game shin-ankle-foot extra support, all of which reinforced toe and heel.

Except small details differentiating Imipiel boots were supplied, in principle, a carbon copy of the previous aesthetic Segarra, including the aspect of the sole - although this was not screwed - so much so that, at a distance, the simple observation of the same, gave the feeling of being wrong indeed be traditional Segarra. Unlike these, the bill turned out to be a bad Imipiel boots, since it opened and took off with relative ease and in a short time, greatly shorten its life, a detail that was not lost on the charge-charge of the Ministry of Defense, responsible for assessing and managing this type of equipment.

Italy

Italian Paratroopers are issued the stivaletti combattimento esercito italiano mod. 2000. These usually come in a dark brown/black leather and soles may vary.

United States

The US type and style of jump boots were originally designed by William P. Yarborough in 1941 for use in the 501st Parachute Test Battalion. These are also known as paratrooper boots, or "Corcorans" or "Corkies" for short, after The Corcoran And Matterhorn Company, a division of Cove Shoe Company, which had the exclusive Department of Defense contract to artifice and supply them for years,^{[citation needed]} Jump boots with zippers, however, were not authorized for wear by US Forces at the time. Certain US Army soldiers, notably those parachute qualified and assigned to an Airborne/Special Forces unit, are authorized to wear jump boots with their Class A uniforms.

A modified version of the paratrooper boot was issued to U.S. Navy personnel who were working on flight decks and to aircrew members. This variation of the jump boot featured a steel-capped toe and a zig-zag pattern on the out-sole that was designed to prevent the gathering of FOD, or Foreign-Object Debris, that could potentially damage aircraft by being sucked into a jet engine's intake. These boots were sometimes colloquially referred to as "wing-walkers." Generally they were black in color, but a brown version was issued to Flight Officers. This style is no longer issued, but it is still generally authorized to wear with most Navy working uniforms (i.e. NWUs, coveralls, Aviation Working Greens).