Buzz Rickson

Buzz Rickson x William Gibson Officer Boots

These boots are the Buzz Rickson and William Gibson version of the U. S. Army Type III Reverse-Upper Service Shoes that were originally made in tan rough-out leather, hence their nickname "rough-outs," also nicknamed boon dockers. This shoe began issue in 1943 to all U. S. Army personnel (not to be confused with the similar shoes already on issue to the USN and USMC) and was to be worn with the M-38 Dismounted Troops canvas lace-up leggings and were strictly for use in the field/combat as the reversed flesh-out leather required no polishing and would not look all that unsoldierly if scuffed vs. a shoe of finished leather. The original shoes had a relatively short production life lasting approximately 18 months.

Just as on the original shoes, these William Gibson x Buzz Rickson versions are hand lasted and sewn to high-quality vegetable-tanned welting leather using the famous Goodyear storm welt, thus joining the upper and sole in what is considered the finest welting system ever devised. The William Gibson version is patterned from the 1st model of this shoe type that featured a reinforcing rivet attached through the quarter into the vamp; the rivet was removed as a cost-saving measure in the spring of 1944. The boot was usually dubbed with a waterproofing grease that darkened them substantially; this waterproofing can be applied to these WG boots too.

The rubber soles and heels were made originally of a composite rubber made from some amount of reclaimed rubber (recycled from auto/truck tires, etc.), but the WG soles are made from contemporary high-grade rubber. The soles and heels are exact copies of the rarest sole and heel types employed in the 1943 production shoes, being the famous Lite Tread "chain" pattern sole which the Japanese are totally fascinated by today (other brands and tread patterns were used in 1943-44 but are not as unique as these). The heels are hand nailed in place and so are the soles at key stress areas. The laces are exact copies of the all-cotton waxed lace used in 1943, which keeps them very resistant to moisture and prolongs lace life. This shoe type gained iconic status in Japan (if not elsewhere) in it's original tan color due to it being worn by Steve McQueen's Virgil Hilts character in the classic WWII PoW adventure film, "The Great Escape." Historical background text and research for this product was generously supplied by History Preservation Associates.

THESE BOOTS RUN ONE ENTIRE SIZE LARGE, PLEASE ORDER ONE SIZE DOWN FROM YOUR USUAL SIZE. So essentially these go up to size 10.5US because they run one size big, some have even said they run 1.5 sizes big, please order one size down.