Balder, your purpose/goal in the army was, like mine, keep the moisture out and protect your footwear. In dealing with sixty to one hundred year old leather your purpose is to preserve. Most foot wear treatments like Peccards contain petroleum base products that soften leather while slowly breaking down the leather fibers. These products also stain and darken both the leather and flax stitching.
I have actually used Peccards in the past to "age" a modern replacement strap that I have had to add to a piece. Peccards does a great job in this respect and quickly adds sixty years to the appearance of leather.
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