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Say Do Svidanya to the Portyanki: Russian Troops to

Get Sock Upgrades
By Rain Noe
- January 16, 2013

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Y
m
H

Whether Axis or Allied, there wasn't any

army that had it easy during World War II.
But I just learned an astonishing fact that
hadn't come up in any of my go-to WWII
history books: The Red Army did all of their
fighting without wearing socks.

Which is not to say they had nothing

between their feet and their boots. Russian
soldiers were issued portyanki, which are
cotton or flannel rectangles of cloth not Next Step

much larger than a handkerchief. Troops

were taught to wrap them around their feet,
as seen below, before donning their boots.
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If you're wondering why there's color
footage of someone doing this, the
surprising fact is that portyanki have been a
Russian army staple until this year. Although
they began phasing them out starting in
2007, it was just this month that Russian
Using light to make your
Minister of Defense Sergei K. Shoigu issued
object look just right is both
a call to replace them across the board with art and science, so we found a
proper socks. pro who can break it down for
you: McKay Nilson.

The big question is, why did they use these? L I V E ! M AY 1 8 1 P M

The answer is manufacturing. While it's well- EASTERN
known that Russian manufacturing might
flooded the battlefields, during the second
 half of the war, with an overwhelming
Most Popular
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number of T-34 tanks, that industrial
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largesse did not extend to sock factories.
With a finite amount of manpower
(womanpower, more
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home front, and the manufacturing ease of

producing cloth rectangles rather than
knitted, fitted socks, the decision was made
to stick with portyanki.We say "stick with"
because portyanki, or "puttee" as they were A Subdued Streetwear-Style G-Shock
known to Western armies, were in fact what
British, American, Chinese Nationalist, Free Hot Water: The Suntap
Solar Water Heater
Italian, and French troops were all wearing in
the first half of the 20th century. The Brits
A Porta-Potty System
starting using them in the 1890s, and in fact
Designed by and for Women
the name "puttee" is an Anglicization of the
Hindi word patti, or bandage. The An Expandable Flatpack
puttee/patti was more like a boxer's Table with Sliding Key
handwraps than a handkerchief, and some Joinery
Russians were issued these as an alternative.
Here's how this latter variant goes on:

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Unbelievable. I'll never complain about

unlacing cumbersome boots again.

via the at war blog

o
Comments
wr Z
Z
•

9 years ago

Well, it's mostly wrong. Portyanki date back to roman

times (it's really cold in sandals during British winter),
they were widely used by post-reformation European
armies and were adopted as a part of Russian military
uniform in early 1700s. Highly advanced Finnish army
traded portyanki for socks in 1990, East Germany - in
1986, some ex-Warsaw pact countries kept on using
them during 1990s. Tell the Germans about
manufacturing issues.

Truth is, while manufacturing really was a serious

issue a century or more ago, portyanki had way more
serious advantages over socks: hygiene and
sturdiness. Meant to be worn with rough high boots
(cheap synthetic leather boots in soviet army), they
 don't tear down in a few days like socks do, they
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footwear,
they withstand dampness way better and theyAccept
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washed just once a week. Not the best smell possible,
but imagine fighting or marching or entrenching in
dirt, rain and snow for days without changing your
socks.

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Ah, yes, and they were meant to be used with talcum

powder as a cheap hygienic measure.

Also you may read something on puttees. They were

used through both world wars by some armies. Same
idea, other body part.

Michael Z
Z
•

9 years ago

Well, I'm from Russia, and I found some portyanki

advocates among the oldschool guys working with
me (who atualy went to the army) :) They point, that
portyanki have a big advantage over socks. If your
feet gets wet, you just take them off and then wrap
them from the other side (the guy on the video has a
rather small piece of portyanka). Plus, until recent
time russian soldiers were wearing high boots.
Portyanki are thick enough to prevent callus
formation and keeps feet cooler than thick socks. :)

michael Z
Z
•

9 years ago

Awesome video, can imagine how can a handkerchief

like small piece of cloth can be used as a socks. In a
world war period at a lowest temperature of -7
degree cold condition.

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RAIN NOE

I’m a lapsed industrial designer. I

was born in NYC and figured I’d die
there, but a few years ago I
abandoned New York to live on a
farm in the countryside with my
wife. We have six dogs.
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