Original Item: In World War One officer’s tended to wear leather knee boots while other ranks wore the much cheaper ankle boots. Conditions were such that the lower leg (calf) still needed added protection so the British had introduced “Puttees” which in effect was a large bandage that wrapped from just below the knee to the ankle hence protecting the trousers from mud and wear. Unable to afford knee boots for Other Ranks Germany/Italy/Austrian introduced tall black leather gaiters for “Special Units” that secured under the boot and covered the top of the foot and ascended 8″ up the leg secured by three buckles with straps. Nicely made with quality leather and stitching these have the same “dash” as the white equivalent used by Scottish Regimental Pipers.
Offered in Pairs complete with all buckles (4) and straps, quality black leather German/Italian/Austrian leggings from the 1930s and used up into WW2. Each bears a manufacture marking and/or code, but markings tend to be quite faint.