What was the purpose of Army leggings?

Although most reenactors hate them, leggings are an important part of the uniform. The use of leggings allowed the US Army during WWII conserve leather by being able to create low cut boots that still kept the debris, snow, and mud out of their pant legs and shoes.

Why did they wear gaiters in WW2?

The “leggings” or gaiters were to keep the pants from getting caught on stuff and keep things out of the top of the boot. The boot, which was more of a high top leather shoe.

Why did soldiers in ww1 wrap their legs?

A puttee is a cloth band that was wound round a soldier’s leg from their ankle to their knee. They were designed to provide support when walking and protect against harsh weather conditions.

Why is it called neck gaiter?

The popular way to wear this item is simply around your neck. Tucked into your shirt this keeps your neck protected and warm. Probably why they call it a Neck Gaiter! Around the Neck and Pulled up over the mouth and or ears.

Why is it called a gaiter?

“leather cover for the ankle,” 1775, from French guêtre “belonging to peasant attire,” of uncertain origin; probably ultimately from Frankish *wrist “instep,” or a similar Germanic source, from Proto-Germanic *wirstiz (source also of German Rist “instep,” English wrist), from *wreik- “to turn,” from PIE root *wer- (2) …

Why did soldiers wear puttees?

A puttee is a cloth band that was wound round a soldier’s leg from their ankle to their knee. They were designed to provide support when walking and protect against harsh weather conditions. Many Australian soldiers developed a painful medical condition during their service on the Western Front called trench foot.

Did German soldiers wear puttees?

For example, chronic leather shortages caused the German army to use puttees in the place of the tall leather boots initially worn by soldiers. However, puttees continued to be worn with some tropical uniforms, and short ankle puttees were issued in the British and Canadian armies even a er the Second World War.

Why is it called a Gator?

The word gaiter is derived from mid-eighteenth century French word guêtre, which is a word that is connected to the German word for wrist. Gator is an American colloquialism for the word alligator. An alligator is a member of the crocodile family and is only found in North America and China.

What are leg gaiters?

A gaiter is a fabric guard that covers the gap between your trousers and your walking boots. Try to think of a gaiter as looking like a cut-off sleeve with an attached loop on one end designed to easily hook under your boot heel by a strap. The top part then wraps around your ankle or calf.