1915 pic

[ccga3359]

The things we learn here! Being a stranger to the term puttee, I let my fingers do the poking and have just spent about 20 minutes reading up on the term and use.

Most impressive of the reading was the stories about the Blue Putteess..... Bravery needs no better name!

I'm surprised that you've not heard the term as I believe it was part of the US army battledress. I guess not for the US Marines then?

[James MacMillan]

I'm surprised that you've not heard the term as I believe it was part of the US army battledress. I guess not for the US Marines then?

We (Marines) had a thing in WW-I called simply leggings..... I can't see much difference between leggings and puttees? United by a different language again..

[Nervous Jock]

a stranger to the term puttee,

Puttees were in general service in the British army till the mid 80's (i.e. every soldier). After the introduction of combat high boots, only Officers of Highland regiments wore them occassionally on range or TEWT work.

[James MacMillan]

Puttees were in general service in the British army till the mid 80's (i.e. every soldier). After the introduction of combat high boots, only Officers of Highland regiments wore them occassionally on range or TEWT work.

TEWT - Now there is an oxymoron if I ever heard of one..... I say you can't have the TE with the WT..... Just makes no sense!

For Marines, a TEWT is an afternnon at the library.

(for the non service types - TEWT is Tactical Excercise Without Troops)

Just dumb!

[Nervous Jock]

TEWT - Now there is an oxymoron if I ever heard of one..... I say you can't have the TE with the WT..... Just makes no sense!

For Marines, a TEWT is an afternnon at the library.

(for the non service types - TEWT is Tactical Excercise Without Troops)

Just dumb!

Better than PENIS

Practical Exercise Not Involving Soldiers

[ccga3359]

OK, Time for a new pic! Anyone?

[James MacMillan]

Noooooooooooooooooooooooooo...

[Archangel]

Here's some pics of POWs from WW1. Note that the Kilties are the prisoners. Note how far back the Germans are standing.

In the brown sepia pics note that the officer is keeping his hand close to his pistol and also note the face of the smaller kiltie to the right. Looks like a huge swelling, it's rifle butt shaped but I don't know if that would actually happen.

We'll let this change the current line of conversation and then the mods can split this thread before we get into trouble.

[macwilkin]

We (Marines) had a thing in WW-I called simply leggings..... I can't see much difference between leggings and puttees? United by a different language again..

The term leggings, when dealing with the US military, refers to canvas leggings or gaiters. The US Army adopted them in the late 1880's, and wore them up to the eve of WWI. When the US entered the war in 1917, we soon quickly adopted a nunber of items from our allies which had been battle-tested in the trenches of the Western Front, including the aforementioned puttees, which were worn by the Marines in France.

Here is an American soldier from the Spanish-American War with the canvas leggings:

http://www.trapdoorcollector.com/pics_html/chacula8.jpg

Here is an artist's rendition of US Marines at Guantanmo Bay in 1898:

http://www.oldgloryprints.com/NCO.jpg

This isn't the best depiction, but on the front cover of this title by Osprey, you can see a naval corpsman wearing the puttees:

http://www.ospreypublishing.com/titl...hp/title=P8526

Here's an artist's rendition of some WWI-era Devil-Dogs:

http://www.oldgloryprints.com/replacement.jpg

The US Military picked up the canvas leggings again and they were used until the mid-1940's, when the so-called "double-buckle" boot was issued through Korea. So, for example, you'll see all branches of the services wearing them throughout the 1920s-1940's; nowadays they are generally reserved for ceremonial duties, such as a US Navy colour party, which wears white leggings.

So, yes, leggings and puttees are two different things in the US Military.

Regards,

Todd

[macwilkin]

James mentioned the "blue puttees" -- here is an interesting article about the Canadian "blue puttees":

http://www.canadiansoldiers.com/medi...e=Blue_Puttees

T.