If we look at photographs of soldiers from different countries of the first half of the 20th century, we will notice one interesting feature. The closer the images to the beginning of the century, the more often they feature military personnel, whose legs are tied up to the knee with some kind of mysterious bandages. What kind of element of clothing is this and why was it needed at that time. And most importantly: why it was ultimately abandoned.
Military uniforms have come a long way in recent centuries. In the Middle Ages, armies were small. Only with the beginning of the New Age did the troops begin to include many thousands, or even tens of thousands of people. The first mass armies were mercenary. In them, most of the equipment was bought by the fighters themselves. The next stage of development was the recruitment armies. The supply of such troops already fell on the shoulders of the state. As you know, a soldier does not fight not only without weapons, but also without shoes. The problem was to produce these very shoes.
The infantry, which, on duty, had to knead many kilometers of dirt and dust, needed high-toed shoes. However, in the 16-17 centuries, leatherette was not yet known, and the production of high boots to protect the feet from dirt and dampness was an unaffordable luxury. It was both difficult and expensive to make such shoes at that time. Therefore, an ersatz solution was invented for the "rogue" infantry: leg wraps (outer footcloths, onuchi) and special stockings - false ankle boots, which were stretched over the leg from heel to knee. Both the one and the other were supposed to replace the high shoulder: to protect the leg from dirt and dampness. Improvised ankle boots were worn over low boots or shoes. The idea was borrowed from the peasants, who were protected in this way by their feet from time immemorial.
By the second half of the 19th century, the armies had grown so much that even the production of protective gaiters (stockings), in which the musketeers and grenadiers of the "Gallant Age" sported, was too expensive. Gradually leggings and "stockings" more and more gave way to conventional windings. As a result, by the beginning of the First World War, soldiers of all armies were sporting them. In fact, the windings are an ordinary thin and very long footcloth. They were made, as a rule, from wool or cotton fabrics.
The rejection of windings and overhead ankle boots began after the opening of the tarpaulin and materials similar to it. Thanks to this, the light industry was able to massively produce high boots and high-top boots. One way or another, all countries of the world switched to boots and classic army boots after the Second World War.
Continuing the topic, read about why do Americans equip their army with cartridges with white sleeves.