Leggings were developed to phase out the WW1 putee leg wraps. Though an improvement, the GIs still found them to be a nuisance to take off and on, with 8 hooks to have to work the lace around. However, they were an improvement and give the uniform a signature look that is definitely WW2, as leggings dominated the entire war, even after the 1943 Double Buckle boots came out. Though American logistics were good, it didn't necessarily mean that the soldier on the front got the latest and greatest coming from the States. Thus, even in to 1945, there are pictures of soldiers still wearing leggings.
The US Army version of the leggings have 8 metal hooks and 16 metal eyelets through which the lacing is threaded. Anything less than 16 eyelets is incorrect for a US Army impression. The leggings varied in color. The most common early war color is a khaki or very light olive drab. Things tended to get darker towards the middle and end of the war and you'll see more green in them. Most important is finding a pair with the correct eyelets, working buckles and metal, and (most important of all) that fits your leg! Again, we're built differently than our forefathers in the '40s. The sizes range from a number designator to correspond to the circumference of the calf and a letter designation for the length of leg, e.g. 1S, 2R, 3R, 3L, etc. Most folks are able to comfortably wear a 2R or 3R. More common to find are the 1 and 2 types, but a bit of good searching will turn up the 3s and some of Long sizes.
There is no way we can explain how to string these things up online. It's best you bring them out to your first event and have someone show you. In fact, some of our older guys had to sit there and compare their leggings to the unstrung pair to figure out how it goes. It looks tricky, but once it's strung, you won't have to deal with it until the string breaks.
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