Goodyear welt construction	Made on the Munson last	All dimensions of the WWII boots duplicated	The boots are 11.5" tall like originals
Outstep	Correct toe shape, no internal box	Original lace. 40" are exactly what was issued with these boots.	Reproduction boxes, and labels with correct contract and stock numbers

Currently unavailable.

There will be no restock of US Made boots. That factory has decided to downsize and private label boots like ours will no longer be offered.

As of now (2024) we appear to be making progress with a large US boot manufacturer with production facilities overseas. If all works out, we may have high quality boots in 2025. That is all the information available.

American made reproductions of the WWII Combat Service Boots, often referred to as "double buckle boots". Almost as soon as the War began, the shortcomings of the service shoes and leggings became readily apparent. The QMC immediately instituted a program to develop a universal boot to replace leggings as well as jump boots. First tested in Italy in 1943, the Combat Service Boot was approved for mass production late that year and mass production began in January 1944. These were manufactured concurrently with the Type III Service Shoes ("roughouts"). By the Fall of 1944, these had begun to replace the older model boots, although they never totally supplanted them before the end of WWII. Airborne troops in particular resisted replacing their distinctive jump boots, and paratroopers wore a mix of both styles from September until the end of the War.

The boots were manufactured flesh side out, and were issued with dubbing which was used to treat and make them water repellent. Goodyear welt construction was used and there was no internal toe box. The cuffs were lined with white or olive drab canvas, and most soles were the "composition", with a few boots being made with leather soles and hobnails.

ATF's Combat Service Boots: Like our other USA made footwear, these are unique to us, and took over 3 years of development. Although HH Brown has made this style previously, their patterns had several mistakes. The cuffs were too high, and were too large in circumference. We had them completely redesigned, bought new cutting dies, and provided the olive drab canvas for the lining. The available buckles were terrible, so we had those reproduced on our own and delivered to the factory. The soles are made by Goodyear Tire & Rubber, using their distinctive "Wingfoot" design from WWII. (They actually had to renew the trademark on this for us.) We own the molds have exclusive rights to the design. Lastly, we provided the original nylon laces from 1943. There is no better reproduction Combat Service Boot. They are expensive, but the quality is more than commensurate.

Sizes: Our sizes are accurate as per US government specifications, and it is the same as the US military uses. Do not "order up" as the sizes were designed to allow for the wearing of cushion sole socks and feet to swell. These usually correspond well to most leather work and hiking boots. If you've spent your entire life in Skechers and shower shoes, or are unsure, it's best to visit a shoe store and have your feet measured on a Brannock device.


ATF vs. Original WWII
Below are photos of one of our boots (lighter color) compared to one of the unworn authentic examples (darker color) we had copied. These have proven to be outstanding boots, with almost zero failures of any kind over the past 5 years. Nearly every complaint that we have had, centered around cosmetic flaws or imperfections (a few quite legitimate, most imagined). Once greased and worn a bit, they look like originals. They're very comfortable, reasonably water repellent when treated, and a very good field boot- just as they were designed to be.

The differences: When new 75+ years ago, the original boot would have been several shades lighter as leather darkens with age, even without oil or exposure. The leather is also drying out and the natural rubber sole has hardened some causing the toe to curl upward slightly on the WWII boot.

ATF (L) vs. unworn WWII original (R)	Pretty close...	Correct height and shape cuffs.	No toe box- just like the original.

The other visible difference is the new boots having fewer rows of stitches. I requested the original sewing pattern be matched, but the factory claimed this was not possible for one reason or another. Performance wise, this is no issue as the modern thread is nylon and much, much stronger than that used in 1944, obviating the need for as many seams. (And yes, I attempted to persuade them to use linen thread like the originals and was politely told to "pound sand".) To the utter disbelief of select OCD enthusiasts, there's a limit to how much nerdery a manufacturer will tolerate from a customer in 2020.

Roughout boots need to be greased.

Treat these boots! The US Army designed these boots with flesh-out uppers in order to improve their water repellency. This required "dubbing", which was a beeswax based leather treatment. It was issued with the boots and soldiers were required to apply it to their boots as part of their basic equipment maintenance. If you leave them untreated, they will have very little water repellency, and the light color will easily show stains. To accurately portray WWII military personnel, roughout footwear needs to be greased, as this was the first task given to the men when they were issued new boots. They did not fight wearing buff colored boots.

The modern equivalents are Huberd's Shoe Grease or Sno-Seal. We have them on our accessories page, or you can find them on Amazon. Sno-seal used to be available in shoes & outdoor stores, but last year I tried in vain to find it at Walmart, Cabela's and Bass Pro and no one had it anymore. That's what led to us getting our own distributorships. Mink oil and original WWII "Dubbing" also work.

Yes, the color change is as dramatic as the photo. The dubbed boots were treated once, wetted, then worn for an afternoon until they dried to break them in. That's it.

Laces: WWII boots were made and issued with 40" laces. Many people complain that this can't be right. It is. The US Army did not make boots with laces like drawcords on a laundry bags in WWII. Each time you put them on, one needs to take up the slack in each eyelet and then there is enough to tie, but not so much as to leave "rappelling ropes" flopping about on the boots. Size doesn't matter- 8's and 13's have the same length eyelet run. If this still is unacceptable, we have longer laces available. They are thicker and don't look as good, but there is more to get a hold of. 48" Service Shoe Laces.


Made in USA