Klaus Märtens was a
doctor in the German army during
World War. While on leave in 1945, he injured his ankle while skiing
in the Babarian Alps. He found that his standard-issue army boots
were too uncomfortable on his injured foot. While recuperating, he
designed improvements to the boots, with soft leather and air-padded
soles made of tires. When the war ended and some Germans recovered
valuables from their own cities, Märtens took leather from a
cobbler's shop. With that leather he made himself a pair of boots
with air-cushioned soles.
