Russian Military Ordered To Switch To Socks

warnewsupdates ^ | January 15, 2013

[JoeProBono]

Near the end of World War II, Soviet and American soldiers met at the Elbe River in Germany. Lacking a common language, they compared their boots.

The Americans wore socks and lace-up boots. The Russians wore something that boggled the minds of their allies from the West: pieces of cloth twirled around their feet and inserted into bulky, knee-high boots.

The cloth strips, called portyanki, have been a signature element of the Russian military uniform since the 16th century. On Monday Russia’s minister of defense issued an order for a militarywide switch to socks.

[Ruy Dias de Bivar]

My dad almost started Patton’s war with the Russians at that time.

[CodeToad]

Adter WWII< many Americans still did. My dad and mom’s side both had them. My dad didn’t see a flush toilet in the house until 1955. Hell, many enlistees into the military used their first flush toilet then.

[tomkat]

Wtf .. over ?

LOL

[tomkat]

Until about 1960.ish, as a tyke, a visit to my paternal grandparents' farm included both an outhouse and, for visits of more than a day or two, a galvanized 'bathtub' in the middle of the kitchen floor.

They had electric, and even a big radio, but plumbing lagged awhile.

[piroque]

I also used a outhouse up to the middle 60’s, fighting them wasp and yellow jackets now them were the days, old enough to remember helping dig the first cesspool when we installed the bathtub and toilet bowl , in the summer we took a bath down at the river or in the wash and rinse tubs on the wringer washing machine.(don’t miss those good old days at all)