The wearing of athletic shoes

[Étienne]

So...(#1): Does it seem like "Converse-like" tennis/athletic shoes were worn more in the field prior to pataugas being issued (i.e. early FIW)? And/or, is it like any soldier in any military and you'd only wear them in your off time for comfort? 

The FFL book by Guyader shows a pair from the FFL museum collection, with several photos of them being worn by legionnaires; and there are photos of them being worn by GCMA guys in the online Pierre Hentic photo collection.

So...(#2): What is a good resource for them? Tranchee has a pair of blue Czech ones, as does Epic: www.trancheemilitaire.com/fr/chaussures/4288-tennis-en-toile-armee-tcheque.html
and www.epicmilitaria.com/product.php/4217/czech-army-trainers-blue

Also, various places online sell PF Flyers: www.6pm.com/pf-flyers-center-hi-re-issue-navy-canvas (SUPER cheap! And shipping is free. I have a pair and while to me the heel feels odd so I added a heel cup, overall the shoe is quite comfortable)

And of course Converse All-Stars would likely work, but the new made pairs (mostly Vietnam made) are quite flimsy compared to the USA and/or Chinese made ones. I'm sure some cool used and/or vintage pairs could be found on eBay or Etsy for a reasonable price.

So...(#3): What color? Would any color work more or less? Black, blue, natural...the ones in the FFL book look like they're dark blue. The Czech ones seem to be the closest match to those, but they have a "racing stripe" and the soles are different. Other than that, they're nearly spot on (to the ones in the book).

But, much like new Palladiums, once any of the above types get worn in and dirty, many of their "inaccuracies" will be muted.

[lew]

1) Converse shoes and knock-offs thereof were very popular for shit-kickin' around the FOB. I don't know why, since Pataugas are the same basic thing and were free (i.e. issued). I don't think the French issued an athletic shoe like those listed in your links, but I could very well be wrong. I've never come across anything suggesting that they did. The pictures I have of military athletics in Algeria show Pataugas and some sort of leather athletic shoe.

2) Converses would work well and I've seen documentation of them, but I don't see a problem with your examples. Converse All Stars were very popular with ALN guerrillas, likely surpassing footwear purloined from the French (Pataugas), and everything else (civilian leather shoes, US M43 boots).

3) Color: Black or blue is what I have come across. I cannot vouch for any other colors.

[luigi]

Salut les amis!

From this book, 




Ocre/Brown pataugas



A good photo showing lots of them!



Best regards!

[lew]

I'm going to assume those Pataugas were made in-theater. All the French makers- Palladium, Broussart, Wisart, Vernon- were official contractors. I like the waffle tread pattern. Actually, the toe detail on those look like Vernon's. The number of eyelets and the stitching on the side do not.

Merci beaucoup pour l'information, mon ami. Le livre est fantastique, surtout en anglais!

Cordialement,

Étienne