What type of souls did WW II combat boots have? Leather or rubber?

Kenneth-- I believe you will find the soles were leather. Rubber can be found on the extreme cold weather boots (muklaks).
DJ

boot sole
Check this pic of US Paratrooper boots....looks like rubber to me.
Here's the site i found it on.....has a bunch of different types on there....
Army Surpplus

According to my Father (ex 3rd Btn. Darby's Rangers) Infantry boots Leather soles , Tankers and Engineeers Rubber. Of corse this is initial issue, once in combat they wore what they could get. And oh yes Brown not black boots.

Normal I would just paint them leather and highlight them but I'm doing up an M4A3 VVSS 76w with two crew men no boots shown and five guys riding on the back. Two guys have there boots hanging off the sides so they would be visible. Also a real give away there is one guy kneeling on one knee and his foot is real obvious. The time period would be some were around the fall of 1944 so they would probable be the two buckle type of boot. So far we have two votes leather one vote rubber.

Kenneth - Northern Europe '44, I think you are safe either way, by that time things were a pretty mixed bag. With mixed unit assignments and replacements.

That is remarkable. I would have thought that rubber was in short supply and therefore leather would have been the sole composition of choice. Now, what the color difference between rubber or a leather sole? I think none...
DJ

Brown leather 2 buckle boots with leather sole and heel.



Just to muddy the waters further...

Shaun

Marvelous, looks the same as rubber soles and heels! :-) :-)

you mean like the type you mother wears?

leather

hehe

I would vote for leather as well, but after looking at the picture, painting the soles black and then weathering , so what's the diff ?

Awe, come on DJ!! I was trying to back you up and that's the thanks I get. Trust me, they are leather. I took 'em right off my mom's feet... LOL
As far as it goes, in a 1/35th scale dio I think it is a moot point. I mean, walk through mud in rubber or leather soled boots for six months and see if anyone can tell the difference in 1/1 scale, let alone 1/35th. It would seem to me that a contest judge (or anyone else) would have to be in a rivet counting frenzy to question the color of a soldier's boots.
But, that's just me.

Shaun

Remember that the "Two Buckle" boots were introduced in '43 (I think) and before then and also after in a lot of cases they wore the red russet boots (looks about the same as the other ones posted, lace ups) and the khaki gaiters.