The Patauga jungle boot or French Army bush boot (French: "chaussure de brousse" or "chaussure de brousse de l'armée française"), commonly known as the "splasher" ("Patauga"), is a lightweight cotton canvas and rubber boot worn by the members of the French Armed Forces when deployed overseas. First introduced in the late 1940s, the Patauga boot, along with the French M1949 Bush Hat, became an icon associated with France's decolonization wars in Indochina and Algeria throughout the 1950s and 1960s. The Pataugas boots were popular not only among members of the French military, but also among civilians engaging in outdoor activities. Its design was subsequently copied and adopted by several militaries worldwide.
History.
Variants.
The Portuguese Army model.
The Portuguese Army and the Portuguese Marine Corps adopted in the early 1960s the "Canvas boot model 1964" (Portuguese: "Bota de lona m/964"), whose design appears to have been based on the French Army M1954 Patauga boot used during the Algerian War. As per in the French model, the Portuguese Model 1964 boot is characterised by his double colour construction, with the upper and the counter (heel) being made of olive green canvas and the toe in black canvas. The low-top upper has 5 lace eyelets made of stainless steel and is reinforced by metal rivets at the base of the lacing system. The tongue is not sewn to the top of the boot by side stitches and although this provides better ventilation, it also allows the infiltration of humidity and small pebbles into the boot. In contrast to the French original, the Portuguese version features built-in double round eyelets at the inside shank of the boot, intended for both fast drainage and ventilation, allowing the circulation of air on the inside.
The Italian Army model.
Introduced in the late 1950s, the Italian Army's version of the Patauga boot consisted of high-top khaki or olive canvas uppers provided with 4 metal lace eyelets and 5 speed-lace eyelets, a toe cap and black rubber outsole, and was produced in two variants: one basic model lacking ventilation eyelets (Italian: "Stivaletti") and a second model, designated "landing boots" (Italian: "Stivaletti da sbarco", "Scalfarotii"), in which the outsoles were provided with 5 fast drainage eyelets – 3 on the inside arch and 2 on the outside –, and a slip-resistant "ripple" pattern tread. Also known as the "Amphibians, Lagoon, Italian Army" (Italian: "Anfibi Lagunari Esercito Italiano"), the landing boots were issued to the soldiers of the Lagunari Regiment "Serenissima", an Italian Army amphibious infantry unit formed in 1957 at Venice, who wore them while operating in the marshy ground environment typical of the coastal lagoons in the northern Adriatic Sea – the Venetian Lagoon, the Marano Lagoon, and the Grado Lagoon. The Landing boots were also provided to the Italian Navy's 1st San Marco Naval Infantry Regiment.
The Indigenous Combat Boot.
Developed by the U.S. Army Natick Laboratories in Natick, Massachusetts in the early 1960s, the Indigenous Combat Boot was an American-designed jungle boot derived from the French Patauga boot for use in Vietnam. It consisted of high-top black canvas uppers provided with 8 metal lace eyelets, a toe cap and outsole made of rubber in the same colour that contained an anti-Punji stick metal plate on the inside. Other features that distinguished the Indigenous Combat Boot from the original French model were the two screened drainage eyelets on the inner arch and the plain round rubber ankle reinforcements lacking the manufacturer's markings. Like the Vibram-soled U.S. Army Jungle boots, the tread gave poor traction and tended to get clogged with mud. In addition, since they were produced in Japan using Japanese foot lasts, most South Vietnamese soldiers often found the indigenous boots to be ill-suited to the local conditions and uncomfortable to wear.
The Bata boot.
In response to the complaints regarding the indigenous combat boot, the Canadian-based Bata Shoes Company began developing in 1968 a new, improved jungle boot that used anthropometric Vietnamese foot lasts produced by Natick Laboratories, bringing it closer to the French Patauga design favoured by the South Vietnamese. Like its predecessor, the new jungle boot consisted of cotton canvas uppers, sometimes reinforced by metal rivets at the base of the lacing system, and a toe cap and ribbed outsole made of black rubber; it also retained the screened drainage eyelets on the inner arch and the (Bata-marked) round rubber ankle reinforcements, though the latter was often absent in the high-top version. Made under contract in Canada, the improved Bata Jungle Boots were produced in three sizes (6-eyelets, 7-eyelets, and 11-eyelets), being also available in khaki and olive green versions.