History

Members of the Waffen-SS mountain troops originally did not wear gaiters or puttees and instead used foot straps to keep their trouser legs secured within their boots.

In 1943, Himmler ordered the development of a distinct style of gaiters for Waffen-SS mountain personnel, which were to be based off the design of the Austrian ‘Styrian’ gaiter from the First World War. In June of 1943, four different variations of the gaiters were sent into the field for testing and evaluation, but the exact results of the tests are unknown. These gaiters are seldom seen and there is little photographic evidence of them being worn, so they were likely deemed inadequate.