This is an unusual battlefield find, particularly in this condition: a near-complete German Army M1937 boot gaiter. It shows some damage from damp conditions, but retains its original green colour and comes with its leather buckle and straps, which are slightly worn but complete. The gaiter remains solid and intact, not breaking up or falling apart. Lightly cleaned, it is ideal for display or any collection and is a very rare survival, as items like this typically rot away in the mud. Its preservation is largely thanks to being stored in a chalk-lined dugout.
The gaiter was recovered from the remains of an old German dugout near the village of Lucherberg, a front-line area defended by soldiers of the 3rd Parachute Division during the Battle of the Hurtgen Forest, from late November to early December 1944.
The item comes with two laminated A5 information cards featuring pictures and a map.
The Battle of the Hurtgen Forest was a series of fierce engagements fought from 19 September to 16 December 1944, over roughly 50 square miles of forest and villages east of the Belgian-German border. It was the longest battle fought on German soil during World War II and remains the longest single battle ever fought by the U.S. Army. The 3rd Fallschirmjager Division was deployed to the northern tip of the Hurtgenwald to repel attacks by the US 1st Infantry Division (Big Red One). Despite heavy losses, they initially held the Americans at bay. By the end of November 1944, American forces reached the forest edge near Merode and Doren.
Fallschirmjager-Regiment 8 was sent to the towns of Luchem and Lucherberg in late November 1944, where they faced severe combat against the US 104th Infantry Division (Timberwolves). When the towns were finally captured by American forces around 3-4 December 1944, approximately 400 prisoners were taken from Fallschirmjager-Regiment 8.
This is an unusual battlefield find, particularly in this condition: a near-complete German Army M1937 boot gaiter. It shows some damage from damp conditions, but retains its original green colour and comes with its leather buckle and straps, which are slightly worn but complete. The gaiter remains solid and intact, not breaking up or falling apart. Lightly cleaned, it is ideal for display or any collection and is a very rare survival, as items like this typically rot away in the mud. Its preservation is largely thanks to being stored in a chalk-lined dugout.
The gaiter was recovered from the remains of an old German dugout near the village of Lucherberg, a front-line area defended by soldiers of the 3rd Parachute Division during the Battle of the Hurtgen Forest, from late November to early December 1944.
The item comes with two laminated A5 information cards featuring pictures and a map.
The Battle of the Hurtgen Forest was a series of fierce engagements fought from 19 September to 16 December 1944, over roughly 50 square miles of forest and villages east of the Belgian-German border. It was the longest battle fought on German soil during World War II and remains the longest single battle ever fought by the U.S. Army. The 3rd Fallschirmjager Division was deployed to the northern tip of the Hurtgenwald to repel attacks by the US 1st Infantry Division (Big Red One). Despite heavy losses, they initially held the Americans at bay. By the end of November 1944, American forces reached the forest edge near Merode and Doren.
Fallschirmjager-Regiment 8 was sent to the towns of Luchem and Lucherberg in late November 1944, where they faced severe combat against the US 104th Infantry Division (Timberwolves). When the towns were finally captured by American forces around 3-4 December 1944, approximately 400 prisoners were taken from Fallschirmjager-Regiment 8.
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