I have recently acquired some repro breeches and puttees just like the ones linked to in Barrie & Annes post below.
i) The breeches have interesting bits of rope on the bottom of the legs, any ideas how they are tied? I'm guessing around the leg rather than under the foot, but from my attempts at round the leg I suspect I have rather nonconformist calves.
ii) puttees. Now, I'm very familar with puttees, proper British Army woollen ones with a single long tape, easy to put on, stay up and held in place by simply tucking the end of the tape behind the V shaped attachment point so they are easy to get undone when wet. They also look nice and smart to keep the RSM happy.
The Russian ones are clearly lashups of some kind as they are two shorter puttes sewn together, however it is the tapes which baffle me. There seem to be two short tapes rather than one long one, and the only way I can get them to stay up is by passing them in both directions around my leg and tieing a very slovenly and unsoldierly knot in them. This will also make them very hard to take off when soaking wet and covered in mud, as well as giving the RSM apoplexy.
These ones are I guess modern puttees made up to the length of WW2 ones, but is the double tape thing a Russian peculiarity? Did WW2 Russian puttees have single or double tapes? I can make them vaguely presentable by turning over the top inch of the puttees as suggested in the puttees thread, but is this appropriate for WW2 Russian puttees?
Thanks
Martin
"Mistakes in the initial deployment cannot be rectified" Helmuth von Moltke
Toys: AGM MP40, Cyma M1A1, TM M14/G43/SVT40, TM VSR/K98, SnS No. 4, ASG Sten, Ppsh.
Arnhem3,Gumrak,Campoleone
a very slovenly and unsoldierly knot in them.
Sums up the appearance of Ivan in the field I reckon. Looks more "authentic" in my opinion, giving the "eastern front finish" to your uniform. Making the damned things stay in place will be your main concern, once you start running about in them 
. The Red Army was far less concerned with how it's soldiers looked and, more concerned with how they fought.
When I want your opinion - I'll tell you what it is!
odd...
The ones on Schuster actually have short tapes and a little hook on them!
http://www.schuster.ru/index.php?option ... &Itemid=68
Can you make the knot so you can tuck it under the end of the puttee..
In the pics on the link above they certainly don't have them folded over.
Where did you get your puttees from?
"Where did you get your puttees from?"
Russian Arsenal.
As I said, they are clearly some sort of lashup made from two pairs of modern puttees sewn together. From looking at the pics on Schuster it looks like I'd be justified in getting rid of the strange additional tape and making up some long tapes to go around the top like proper puttees.
Any clues about the ropes on the trouser bottoms?
Cheers
Martin
"Mistakes in the initial deployment cannot be rectified" Helmuth von Moltke
Toys: AGM MP40, Cyma M1A1, TM M14/G43/SVT40, TM VSR/K98, SnS No. 4, ASG Sten, Ppsh.
Arnhem3,Gumrak,Campoleone
Well I've wrapped them round my legs on the ones I use... which are from koliya1985 on ebay.
However I did have some original post war ones that went under the foot as well.
You can use the Brit style putties. They shipped millions of pairs to the Soviets.
Just like you can use US garrison or rough out boots, millions of pairs of those went in aid.
aka Stigroadie
AFRA
better by design
"Truth is a shining goddess, always veiled, always distant, never wholly approachable, but worthy of all the devotion of which the human spirit is capable. "
You can use the Brit style putties.
Now that is interesting, I didn't know that. I might try my Brit ones and see how they look, however they are the short WW2-Cold War ones so they don't come as high up the leg.
I just noticed that Seidler is modelling a pair of puttees in the 'RKKA kit guide' exactly like Russian ones I've got, complete with untidy knot. I'll just play around with different combos this weekend and see what is practical and looks good, subject to the usual domestic hilarity as I parade around the house.
Got my plash earlier this week, now that is an entertaining garment, but the info on the board is very helpful, I managed to roll it right first time!
Many thanks for your fraternal guidance comrades.
Martin
"Mistakes in the initial deployment cannot be rectified" Helmuth von Moltke
Toys: AGM MP40, Cyma M1A1, TM M14/G43/SVT40, TM VSR/K98, SnS No. 4, ASG Sten, Ppsh.
Arnhem3,Gumrak,Campoleone
You can use the Brit style putties.
Now that is interesting, I didn't know that. I might try my Brit ones and see how they look, however they are the short WW2-Cold War ones so they don't come as high up the leg.
I use Brit ones, if you sew two together they are about the right length. And I've never had any trouble with them falling down. Last time I played with them on it was 26 degrees C and I forgot I was wearing them.
Useful info on putting on puttees here http://www.redarmylivinghistory.com/hel ... -t561.html.
When I want your opinion - I'll tell you what it is!
Excellent, thanks.
Half an hour wielding a needle has turned my rather odd 'Russian' puttees into something presentable, with a sensible British style single long tape. If these don't stay up then I'll do some wool ones.
Cheers
Martin
"Mistakes in the initial deployment cannot be rectified" Helmuth von Moltke
Toys: AGM MP40, Cyma M1A1, TM M14/G43/SVT40, TM VSR/K98, SnS No. 4, ASG Sten, Ppsh.
Arnhem3,Gumrak,Campoleone
