Puttees in World War One
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- čas přidán 6. 05. 2020
- While they have been used throughout most of human history, under many different names, puttees are probably most iconic to the late 19th and early 20th Centuries. So, what were they used for? Were they practical? And how do you put them on without them unraveling around you? -
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My Great Grandpa wrote about losing his puttees on his first run under machine gun fire after disembarking at Gallipoli and I never knew what he was talking about till now. Thanks for the video.
Well your grandpa should have stayed off Turkish soil ;) he is lucky he came back home to write about it.
@@citadelchase8858 I agree. NZ's remembrance day, Anzac day, is a somber day, its no celebration. We look back on Gallipoli as a tragedy, something that shouldn't have happened, a waste of life. But something that built our national identity. The tagline is "Lest We Forget".
@@rebdomine1Lest we forget I’ve had many of my grandparents in war and in Gallipoli
Brandon's lost it now he's just stomping around in puddles.
The Coronavirus has finally got to him
I thought historians did that anyways?
First anime now puddles
What fun!
The quarantine has gotten to him. 🤣🤣🤣
Brandon could be an scp, imagine you're walking through the woods when all of the sudden Brandon comes out from behind a tree at quick March directly towards you "good sir, do you realize you are out of uniform?" He asks you. before you can respond he's behind you and has you in a choke hold, "coward, you won't get away from your duties to Britannia that easy" he tells you. All of the sudden you black out, after hearing some muffled voices and feeling the ground shake you awake after being stepped on. You're in a trench circa 1918 and the Germans are pushing forward in a spring offensive. If the Germans don't kill you, Brandon will, he's watching you... Always.
One might be led to surmise that you have a considerable amount of time on your hands.
@@PNWJEEPER01 possibly
@@firstnamelastname-ql2vd No offense meant, of course; just.....sayin.
@@PNWJEEPER01 no need to apologize sir
That would actually be a cool scp
Imagine walking through the woods and seeing Brandon in his ww1 uniform, stomping in a bunch of mud
Quick History PTSD time for some poor veteran
Yeah cos we still have ww1 veterans with ptsd 😂
Imagine seeing him in his full kit while tripping b***s
Time traveler
You've just crossed over into the twilight zone.
Girlfriend: "Why don't you ever want to take me hiking with you?"
Thinking about me and the bois wrapping puttees and sloshing in puddles in full militaria: "Maybe next time."
Some women have enough taste to enjoy such a thing far better 😉
Takie her with you xd
Interestingly enough, the reason for the German Army switching to puttees in the late stages of WWI was in fact due to leather shortages. Before the war Germany only produced puttees for their colonial troops and the normal soldiers would wear the "marschtiefel" (or jack boot)
Both did about the same in terms of effectiveness, and both had their own advantages and disadvantages in trench warfare. All in all, the marschstiefel hurt Germany's war effort not because it was ineffective footwear, but because it wore down Germany's limited leather supply far faster than it would have been drained otherwise
Same story in WW2, when they switched to instead of issuing every soldier the jackboots and the lowboots - Very expensive - To just the low ankle boots, with gaiters. Mountain troops got puttees throughout the war I think.
@@JohnsonTheSecond Mountain troops werent really effected they started off with low boots and buttoned or laiced gaiters and just carried on. The mountain boots had adjustable laces and extra space for socks unlike the tight fitting marching boot so didnt need any changes.
The British army had reviewed their uniforms in the early 30s and decided they would raid sporting good stores for equipment that had been tested in harsh weather already so adopted Nordic style skiing gear then adjusted it for mass production and military use.
Basically it meant that British standard boots and German mountain boots came from the same mountain climbing/skiing parent and were virtually identical.
The British uniform was basically so efficient for use and production that the Germans copied it and adopted it wholesale after 1943.
The thing goes for webbing, the British had gone over to easily manufactured and adjusted fabric straps before WW2, the Germans stuck with leather straps which made for expensive production until later war they copied the British by using canvas in Afrika and other hot climates.
I think laced boots with covering were more effective although they don't offer that military shiny leather. Looking at what elite infantry, like storm or mountain troopers were wearing could be an indication of the field value of each.
@@2adamast The reason for mountain troops not using jackboots was due to said boots simply not being the best model for that enviroment.
The reason storm troopers didn't use jack boots often (and I say often because there are plenty of pictures with storm troopers using jackboots) is because of leather shortages. By the time storm troopers were a definite separate military entity most of the German army was no longer using jack boots.
Boots only lasted about 6-8 months in the trenches, which is why jack boots are completely gone from many pictures post mid-1917. They simply stopped getting produced
@Ornate Orator There was a problem of perspective and planning. First of all they intended to run short brief campaigns so they wouldn't suffer the long term attritional loss of equipment. It wasnt till 42 or 43 that they really started putting the economy on a war footing.
The second problem they had was an early advantage, the collapse of Poland, France, Holland etc meant they had the agriculture of entire countries available to plunder which hid a lot of their deficiencies.
Poland and Ukraine were virtually stripped to feed the army and keep German civilians in decent food supply.
They can trade with Vichy France, Spain owes huge war debts and is supplying mineral resources and has farming.
Why do I find these so strangely fashionable?
The functionality, the style, damn!
Yes, I quite like them too. Then again I am a fan of breeches and high socks as well
"you don't want to go above the knee otherwise you will be walking around like a robot everywhere you go" meanwhile in Germany....
😂😂😂
goose steep good brittania baaad
I'm starting to feel like this was all an elaborate excuse to get to go and play in the mud.
"No, mom, it's for a _video_ this time, it's my _job_ as a youtuber, i'm a grown man you cant tell me what to do anymore!"
I'm just imagining one of Brandon's neighbors or just some random guy seeing him walking through puddles and small creeks in full ww1 gear.
Yeah, I can see them just stopping and staring at him. You, sir, must be the talk if the neighborhood.
You think that's bad? I'm in full ww2 uniform walking up and down in my front garden to calibrate VE day.
Rifle and all.
I dare say, they're probably used to it by now.
"Who's the guy in the British uniform?" asks a visitor.
Neighbour chuckles and replies, "That's just our Brandon. You should see him in his Red Army uniform."
You aren't a proper re-enactor if you have not had called the police on you.
Don't let the men in white suits take you.
That's just our Brandon, you should see him on independence day.
GOD SAVE THE KING
15:15 Ah the joys of spring in New England
And the joys of old England....🌧️🌧️🌧️🌧️🌧️🌧️🌧️🌧️
CZcams's algorithm somehow leads me to you. And now I'm subbed, seeing your enthusiasm about this was contagious
Well I'm glad it did! Welcome!
Welcome, friend. Check out his other videos. Often pedantic, but never uninteresting.
Brandon F, ceo of proper speaking, and leader of all history nerds. We salute to our captain 👏👏
Never said better, I conquer.
Nah, that's Lindybeige.
I'm gonna try these out on my next backpacking trip
Send me a note on FB if you're looking for a place to buy- I can recommend a gentleman from England who makes very good quality puttees.
I am gonna try them out too once I saved enough to get a reenactment uniform for the National Revolutionary Army (Chinese military from 1928 to 1945). They wore puttees and the Zhongshan suit uniform during that period.
@@BrandonF I think I will! I was just gonna use acewrap bandages but the real thing would help a ton more. I'm a tick magnet so something to keep them out of my trousers would be of great help.
@James Harding His name is Mike Everest, but I won't share the link if brandon doesn't think we should.
I've worn them multiple times on such-like trips, and I daresay you won't be disappointed!
Quick note: In certain cases, regiments could even be known for their distinctive puttees. The Royal Newfoundland Regiment earned their famous nickname, the "Blue Puttees" for the distinctive coloring of this garment.
@@nedsteven4622 not so blue anymore XD
@@nedsteven4622 a level of sad ironic humor to be found in that
steyn17 good thing, or the fritz would have spotted it and amputated his leg for him
In 1914, The blue puttees used initially by the Newfoundland regiment were from QM stores of a boy’s organization called the Church Lads’ Brigade as appropriate coloured material for puttees was not available in the old colony. Legend has it when the regiment arrived at Salisbury for training, the blue puttees were promptly removed and burned.
@@befford709 Church Lads sounds like one of the Pre Boy Scouts groups inspired by Baden Powel's 1899 military manual "Aids to Scouting" or the 1908 reversion "Scouting for Boys" A lot of Town counsels, Bussiness, Churches and other organizations used it to form their boys clubs they sponsored and later they were mostly united into Boy Scouts, but not every local group joined the national scout orgs
I used them for around 3 years from 1981 to 84 in the army cadets. When I was 13 to 16 in the Irish Guards cadets. And as a part time Viking I still use something similar
I’ve worn my original Fox,s puttees for over 30 years and never failed me in UK ,France and Belgium and more .. noticed your second puttee was facing the wrong way ( V end should technically be on the outside and to the rear) but unless you use them every day then they can be a bugger to get right first time every time .. 30 years of use and they go on lovely every time
Last time I was this early the B.E.F. stopped the Germans at the Marne
I reckon spare puttees were used as bandages and field dressings, tied into slings and splints, used to wrap up odds and ends, secure items to pack animals and the many other uses for a length of strong fabric. They are something with a practical use but they can be used to fix and improvise solutions to many problems marching armies could face.
Gaiters are much more a single purpose item in that if you use them for something other then wearing them, you will likely break them.
Long Boots were likely better for walking through melting snow and slush where puttees likely soak through and leak quickly.
@James Harding Not much snow where I live in Australia. I was thinking about keeping dry feet because having worked in gumboots and short (waterproof) boots with thick socks and elastic gaiters I don't think puttees would stay dry.
@@hart-of-gold if they're proper wool you'd be surprised actually. I actually was part of a recreation of an amphibious assault and despite jumping into thigh deep water the putties actually kept the water out of my boots for a full three seconds
@@firestorm165 Proper wool with lanolin (wool fat) applied can keep dry very well (if not agressivly submerged) and dries out very readily.
I have a heavy wool cloak that (beside getting a bit heavier and longer) keept me dry through an 4 hour watch in conditions between drizzle and splashing rain.
At times I had to hold out my hand to realize it actually still rained, because the stuff is that waterproof.
@@aenorist2431 I have very little trouble believing that. Real shame that woolen cloaks fell out of fashion
@@firestorm165 I use Puttees on my bike when I have to ride in the rain since I have no gators. And after a few minutes of getting soaked at least they kept me warm. They also dry very fast.
“We shall be protected, I hope”
That simple quote has been uttered by anyone who has ever worn anything. Maybe with the exemption of masochists.
Just to give a bit of perspective to his statement about these things being around throughout many different time periods, the Romans and the Vikings both liked using these. I don't know the roman name for them, but the vikings called them Winingas (pronounced with a V because it's germanic). I have a pair and they are supremely comfy and great for walking through any bramble or rough brush.
The Romans didn't have a specific name IIRC, so I think they'd just be called bands or fasciae.
Bit of an 'Aint broke don't fix it' sort of thing isn't it? Simple and effective.
reconstructions of Old Norse and its direct descendants overwhelmingly favor a pronunciation closer to [w] than [v]. The [v] pronunciation is a relatively recent change.
Damnit I went and wrote a comment about this, didn't realize someone was way ahead of me.
@@MrJinXiao [w] ftw
A timely upload, considering I just got my puttees the other day. Great work, as always!
"Here we find Brandon in his natural habitat."
why did i hear this in a british accent and a deep voice
If you have difficulty with your puttees "stepping" and leaving gaps between the layers, give the roll a 180-degree twist and continue rolling just after you pass the calf. For people with thicker calves than our dear Brandon here, it will keep the layers held tightly together.
I have to twist/rotate mine at least twice when I get to the calf to prevent stepping. Hope this helps someone.
I enjoyed this, I had heard about the Royal Newfoundlanders being called "Blue Puttees" but I never had a great visual of what a puttee was.
That came from the 30s I believe, when they were due for an inspection by the King but had none of the new ankle wrappings, so had to make do with blue cloth they had spare. The King commented that he rather liked the blue so they kept it until ankle wrappings were phased out.
It was definitely a nick name they had during WW1, they had it at Beaumont-Hanel.
Our local Yeomanry regiment(territorial/national guard) continued to wear blue puttees right up to WW1
3:19 draw me like one of your russian girls
The short puttee were still worn into the 1970 , i wore them as a member of the British army as as a SSgt in Germany as part of NATO, (Northag) Northern army group
“Puddees” lol I can’t take these seriously
Not a very militant name, to be sure. It's taken from an Indian (Hindi, maybe?) word for the leg wraps.
Brandon F. Interesting
@@BrandonF from the Hindi "Paṭṭī", meaning bandage, or long strip of cloth. Indeed, the British Indian Army saw the usefulness and comfort in their ability to keep legs dry and compressed, which spread to the greater British infantries and cavalry units, and other nations soon followed. They're very inexpensive, and they're splendid for long hikes in the wilderness!
@@lenaoxton3999 Which is kinda funny to me, considering how frequent very similar garments are in earlier european history, that they still had to rediscover the idea all the way in India.
Puttees... puttees ...
Brandons accent does change things a little.
I always imagine Brandon being a soldier from the past who used a time machine to go to our time😂
An independent historian.
Idk man. He isn’t really what comes to mind when one thinks of a soldier from the past.
He possessed the soul of a bright eyed boy who went to the site of the battle of Waterloo and hasn't been the same ever since.
@@terminator572 A reborn soul who was in the Colonial Wars and it left its imprint on him. Or, just a gentle enthusiast but I think both have equal chances of being true
I went through several videos trying to find out what they are, to no avail. This answered my question and so much more, especially with the demonstration. Love your enthusiasm. Thank you! I will subscribe now!
"Puttees are good!"
- Lindybeige
Bring Puttees!
I remember stopping by a Michael's Fabric store after a "Viking" re-enactment with a friend. We were still in our "viking" garb. We were either completely "invisible" ie people wouldn't look at us, or people stared right at us. We then went to a Chinese buffet where a little kid asked his mother if we were from Narnia. (^_^)
So my first introduction to puttees was as I was working at a viking museum. We would dress up in period clothing as part of the museum "live action" way of teaching history. In the viking (and most of european iron age and early middle age) puttee-type leggings was common. I'm a hunter, and these seemed like a good ide of protecting the lower legs from snagging on branches, as well as keeping moisture, snow and dirt away from my pants and boots. A problem I had encountered the year before was snow being kicked up from my boots to my trousers, that then got wet, and the cotton trousers would suck up the water and I quickly became soaked. I like wool as it keeps you warm even if it becomes wet, and wool won't really become propperly wet, more like moist, and it woun't suck up the water like other fabrics. Beside normal gaiters are a lot more noisy than putees, and moving silenrtly is essential to a hunter. I have sevral repro puttees now, viking period ones, ww1 period ones, some japanese ones, and even a pair of gennuine Fox-Wellington officers puttees from 1909. I have worn puttees while hunting, hiking, and during winter when I lived in northern Norway. here is what I learned about them.
Finding the correct way to make them snug to your legs without creating "stepping" or making gaps are essential, I have to make two folds after about 2 rounds.
They are not water proof, but won't really soak either. They are excelent in everything from dry to somewhat wet conditions, but when it get's really wet they are no good. I immagine one of the reasons armies stopped using them was because they were used in the trenches, in conditions way beyond what they were originally intended for.
They work really well in snow! The snow will collect on the outside, but unlike with cotton, the wool won't let out heat from your legs to melt the snow, and if the snow does melt, they won't suck up the snow. They also makes it weasier to move in deep snow, as they make your legs "skinnier" compared to loose pants.
They are really good at keeping things from getting inside your boots, or up your pants.
They reduce the noice you make by moving through the forest a LOT!
They proved compression to your legs. This stimmulates circulation (as long as they are not too tight), and reduces fatigue and soreness after a long day of hiking.
If you wear them for a long time, your leg will itch when you take them off. If you have ever worn slalom-boots for any extended period of time, you know the feeling.
And my final observation: They look really neat!
You're supposed to be in Flanders, so I'm making the appropriate artillery and machine gun sounds in my head.
>Stomps in mud
>"what am I doing"
Yeah, I miss my events too
A lot of it is simple friction. It's not a smooth fabric and with that tension it'll grip pretty well. And also, if it's nicely prepared wool, it'll be somewhat waterproof. Perhaps those puttees need a dose of lanolin?
I feel like I'm watching a young LindyBeige
Great video!
I would have thought Brandon after you watched my video and bought my puttees, you would have gotten them on correctly rather than both going the same direction around your leg which is incorrect.
Yeah, a silly mistake on my part. I didn't realise it until after I was tying them off at the top!
I'm a civil war reenactor and it's amazing how my uniform is basically just a different color. 60 years of advancements but the uniforms basically stayed the same even the shoes are basically the same (besides the coat and hat of course)
That's the first time I've seen someone actually demonstrate the before and after use in water/mud. Thank you that was excellent.
I feel like this video was an excuse to play in the mud.
Imagine having to wrap up your legs in cloth.
-this post was made by the gaiters gang
imagine wearing shoes into combat
- Airborne jump boot gang
Screw you jump boot gang
14:19 "what am I doing?"
releasing your inner child wanting to jump and stamp on water and mud of course!
I always thought it was the pants that made for that look, turns out it's the puttees. Now I know. And now I need some.
Well done, sir! They did a lot to help, but "trench foot" was almost as debilitating as were "social diseases" during the Great War as I recall. Do you concur?
Hello from the UK, I shall share this channel amongst my history buff friends. Keep up the good work chap!
This is exactly why I love learning about history so much. Many of humanity's material problems have remained the same all throughout history, and there's a lot we can still incorporate into our daily lives if we only know where to look. Personally, I've been seeking to introduce more practical garments into my wardrobe, especially for mud since I live in a muddy area, and I will definitely look into puttees! Thank you for posting this excellent video!
I've seen somthing like these with middle ages reacting (usaly Viking reacting) but they go over the pants and in the shoe or boot rather than over pants and boots. They were used for the same sort of thing. It's cool how things last in history with a bit of modification for so long.
Nice video on these. I wear them for both reenacting impression and in everyday outdoorsing activities. I like their aesthetics and functionality.
Thanks for this. I've always been a big WWI buff, and all my life wondered how those things were put on.
Great video 👍 it's nice to look on CZcams and see your videos they make my day every time
I always wondered what those were called. Thanks man!
We still had them and wore them in the British army in 1969 and in northern Irland in the 1970 , but only around the boot and ankle trousers went over the top with elastics .
I love this video. I'm planning on using puttees for hunting this year and I've seen this video a few times and it's always stuck with me
I usually wear puttees going through thick and sharp Arizona brush, they perform well. My advice is to make sure they are extremely tight over the boot, to try and avoid unraveling. If one has muscular calves, one should be sure to wrap over any parts that stick out(that are loose). It is difficult to do at first, but once mastered, is very helpful.
This is my favorite type of your videos
I got mine a long time ago, I think on Tatooine.
As a fan of military history & uniforms (seen in Asia, not just Europe), costumes, and the outdoors, thanks for for answering a question I’ve had for 25 years (what they’re called)!
PS - subbed, keep it/them up! How this was recommended to me today we will never know...
Thanks for the video! Puttees are one of those things that I always notice but never really question
I joined the British army in 1971 and we were issued putties to wear with our combat dress, we didn't wind it up the leg, just over the top of the boot.
Thank you. In "The Silver Chair" puttees are mentioned at one point and I had no idea what they were. I look forward to having a better mental picture the next time I read that chapter of that book
When I saw the title, I thought this was gonna be about the Putty Patrollers from Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers fighting in WW1.
Funny you mentioned that, I was just sitting here thinking, I wonder if the grey guys from power rangers had anything to do with these.
Putting History to the test. What better way to study something! Well done.
Thanks! This one was definitely a lot of fun.
Thanks Dear sir for your enthusiasm and knowledge you have a new subs cause of it🙏
The thumbnail, the fonts, the images, and your presentation in general gives off the same vibes as lindybeige (both great)
Those boots are disgusting get 'em cleaned I want to see my face in them when you've finished! The British army went from long putees to webbing gaiters when the '38 Webbing system was issued. Then sometime after WWII they adopted short putees (that only went around the ankles) when I joined the army (1974) I was at first issued gaiters, then a couple of months later issued putees. Having worn both I have to say that gaiters were easier to put on. From a practical point of view I can't say I noticed any difference in effectiveness. However, as I was in an armoured regiment we only wore putees for guard duty. When we went to Northern Ireland we all bought Doc Martins boots that went up higher than our normal issue DMS boots and were also lighter and easier to run in.
Were putees practical? Meh.... Did they come unraveled? Sometimes but usually only only if you'd screwed up putting them on. Finally, you could wrap a putee around the barrel of your rifle to break up the outline of the straight and rather obvious rifle barrel and help stop it sticking out like a sore thumb from a hedge!
Interesting assessment. So puttees had a wider range of possible applications, but were more of a hassle to put on?
@@eldorados_lost_searcher Indeed, but as a tank regiment we didn't wear the things much, only for guards and such. I seem to remember that our infantry support used to wear the things so they must have found them effective.
So, what's your opinion on DMS vs boots, cardboard horrible? ;)
@@derpimusmaximus8815 DMS boots were generally good. They had their problems, they were a bit too heavy for things like NI and could get waterlogged...they were pretty useless in the Falklands (or so I'm told). If you wore them with good wool socks they were good for purpose. DMs, well mine lasted the four months of my NI tour of duty and basically disintegrated shortly afterwards. On the plus side they were mostly waterproof, light and comfortable, I never got blisters from wearing them. A couple of years later I found some much better boots Sergeant Peppers. They came in black (which DMs didn't at that time) were waterproof and much sturdier than DMs, the pair I had lasted a couple of years and I wore them quite a lot. Unfortunately I never saw any again after the initial pair I bought.
Back in the mid-70s unless you bought expensive civilian hiking boots you were always going to have problems with your boots.
@Paul Smith Indeed, but its what the Royal Marines used in the Falklands!
Great presentation
Another interesting video from Brandon, I never considered there use, though I saw puttees in many pictures.
The french method of wrapping is black magic
Even the Japanese wrapping method is a buff.
Hey Brandon.
I am from Czech republic and I re-enact Czechoslovak army and gendarmes from 1918-1939...
Our army back then used putees too and I hate them from the bottom heart :D Even though Czechoslovak putees had a huge upgrade in that, they had a hook on the lower end to hook on the shoelaces and S shaped clip on the strap to hold putees firm and fastened.
But it doesnt matter... After an hour or two.. They still loose and fall down, no matter what you do :D
I just had to share my passion filled relationship with them, with you. :D
Hope you have a great day! Keep up to god sent work :)
Randomly recommended to me, like your style
I loved how you stroll away through the puddles!
Thank you so very much for the amazing rich history sir !.
Brandon is thoroughly beating this topic of puttees from every single angle imaginable..As if he prepaid to use 18 minutes, and wants his moneys worth.
I like the way this guy talks. He seems like a cool dude to hang out with
Cool video dude. Always wondered about those things....
I have a set of these and people in the Roman legionary reenactment group yelled at me for not using socks and using an old wool pair of these for germanic reenacting with my caligae. They work really well and prolly are much older than 20th century. Cause eventually I caved and got socks and used these over the top of the sock up my leg and it helped against mud for sure.
Interestingly, you are more spot on about the "helps prevent cutting and tearing" comments - We use these in Viking re-enactment (Winingas), my society did some cutting tests using an authentically sharp sword - it completely prevented the cut from getting to the leg (didnt do much for the blunt force trauma of the impacts though)
I don't know if other posts pointed this out, but one of the primary reasons to wear puttees is they stop the calf muscles from flapping about. This greatly reduces fatigue on long marches.
I remember you could buy a pair from the local army surplus stores in my part of Ontario for $1.50 back in the '60s
This guy is well funny - just subscribed!
it is very nice that you talked about the puttees
I didn't know I needed this until now
They also keep pants from sticking to your knees and hindering movement when drenched with rain or sweat. Pretty critical when you were stuck in a trench or just outdoors and living in the same clothes for days/weeks at a time, crouching, squatting, getting up and down off the ground a lot and so on. Unlike high boots, wool wraps shed water and will dry over time.
good job in your presentation also
"what am I doing" you merely voiced what we were all thinking.
I'll stick with my DAK M40 boots. But I always did have a soft spot for puttees:)
I joined the Royal Marines in 1979 and we had to wear these until 83 along with DMS boots which were made in part with compressed cardboard, you only had to walk through wet crass and you'd get wet feet!
I hike in these every weekend.
Currently serving 5th year in a combat unit, this is the pros and cons as I see them:
+ Great protection against shrubbery.
+ Adds a small layer of insulation, cold air setlles in low points (trenches & holes)
+ Water repellent, which depends on the materiel and thickness.
+ Can be discarded when soaked or not needed, without taking off the boots.
+ Adds support for the ankles, in rough terrain a major issue is twisted or broken ankles... (Main reason most army boots go above the ankle)
+ Cheap (Which makes it less of a problem if lost)
- Time consuming and won't fit well on insulated boots.
- Another item to carry along and keep track of.
- Not waterproof in prolonged water exposure.
All in all I can see how this was effective and why it was used...
Cool bit of history ^^ and likely what sparked the idea of gators.
What a very flamboyant pose you stuck on the thumbnail Brandon
Puttees were issued to me during my basic training after joining the British army in 1975, only wrapped around ankle height and used trouser blouser elastic to secure / blouse combat trousers
When the first 500 of the Newfoundland Regiment sailed for France in 1914 they wore navy blue puttees. Some say it was due to a lack of khaki material, some say it was trying to create a distinct uniform, but from then on, the First 500 were known as "The Blue Puttees."
I will now start my adventure of reenactment as a british soldier. Thank you brandon.
Lop the irony of you releasing this video while I'm trying to sew the buttons on my spats
Gebirgsjägers in the Second World War frequently used puttees as well however they generally only wrapped it up to the level a gaiter would come up to (presumably so their ability to climb wasn't completely impeded)
It's rather comical watching a WW1 soldier playing in muddy puddles, love it
New Sub here... keep the knowledge coming Brother...
Wonderfully done, Sir! I'm afraid I am late, as it appears I may have not gotten proper notifications. Still, absolutely fantastic video all the same!
Better late than never! Thanks!
They really are rather nice once you know how to wrap them. I wear them doing yardwork, hunting, ect.
In the British army, the infantry wind the putters from the ankle to the knee, as in Brandon’s demonstration. Horsed units including, cavalry, horse artillery, supply etc wound their putters from knee to ankle. From period photographs you can also see that it was common to have a few twists, this was to reduce and smooth out rucks which can develop. I was a district nurse and used to do pressure bandaging toe to knee, rucking is a problem, particularly in individuals who have a large difference between the calf and ankle circumference.
The puttees made by Messrs Fox of Somerset were woven tighter along one side than the other to overcome this very problem.