History of tarpaulin boots. Kirza - a composite of cotton base and rubber Why the material is called "tarpaulin"

Kirz boots have been popular since their invention by Ivan Plotnikov to this day. For the creation of these legendary boots, he received the Stalin Prize and deservedly so.

In the confrontation between boots and boots, the boots definitely won, by the time of the First World War, the point was put on them in the choice. Before that, the soldier's legs were constantly wrapped around, although boots were worn. Naturally, it is more convenient to put your feet in your boots so that these windings do not unwind at the most inopportune moment, and of course it is more convenient. In some parts, there was not enough material for the manufacture of windings and had to wrap the legs with improvised means. For example, the British army spent the entire war in windings. But Russian soldiers are the only ones who, on frequent occasions, allowed their legs to feel the warmth and comfort of high leather boots.

Those who believe that "kirzachi" got their name because of the Kirov Plant (kir-za), where they were mass-produced, these people are mistaken. The kersey boots got their sonorous name thanks to the rough English woolen material, which was called Kersey, which served as the basis for the kersey. If disputes with the name are resolved quickly, then the name of the true inventor creates a whole epic of contradictions and rumors. Most believe that Mikhail Pomortsev invented them, it was he who managed to do the impossible and overcome many difficulties, he invented a material similar to leather, patented it in 1904, it was a canvas fabric, but not simple, but impregnated with all sorts of substances, such as rosin. paraffin, even egg yolk was included in the composition. The new material was almost analogous to natural leather, which was waterproof and at the same time did not "suffocate", it was simply ingenious. For the first time, this new fabric began to be used in the Russian-Japanese war, it was used for various purposes, although it was still far from the protection of soldiers' legs, but various necessary things in wartime were already produced, for example, they made light bags for ammunition, as well as various ammunition for horses and much more.

The material made by the scientist Pomortsev earned praise on all fronts of the Russo-Japanese War, literally and figuratively. The material was also presented at various exhibitions, where it earned forest experts' reviews, Pomortsevs was offered to make a small batch of boots, they were in great need at that time, but so far it has not come to mass production. The obstacles were fixed by the tanners (the curators of this business), who were very worried that their work would be taken away from them. And, in 1916, the inventor Pomortsev himself died and with him the mass production of boots from this universal material has sunk into oblivion. Only 20 years later, the tarpaulin will be remembered again.

In 1934, two Soviet scientists took up production again, their names were Boris Byzov and Sergei Lebedev.

They came up with a new method of producing rubber, cheaper, and impregnated it into fabric, which in its qualities also became similar to natural leather. Later, the Soviet chemist Plotnikov got down to business, he then collected all the laurels of the discoverer and even received the Stalin Prize. In the Soviet-Finnish war, tarpaulin boots passed the first tests, however, they did not show themselves as an excellent material, the boots cracked from frost and hardened, and even broke over time. The chemist was asked why his boots are so flimsy and cold, and he quite seriously replied: "The bull and the cow have not yet shared with us all their" selfish "secrets!" For such a tough answer, the scientist was not punished, and even on the contrary, they were loaded with work, which consisted in improving this material for boots. At that time there was a very strong shortage of footwear, the war had a strong impact on domestic developments. Under the strict supervision of Kosygin himself, Plotnikov did an excellent job with his work.

The scientist Plotnikov shod 10 million people in tarpaulin boots, for these merits in 1942 on April 10 he was awarded the Stalin Prize.

To the envy of everyone.

Throughout its existence, tarpaulin boots are very popular, and during the war years they especially increased their popularity. The boots were ready for off-road and long hikes, the fact that Russian boots are the best can be judged by comparing them with American military footwear of the 40s, our boots are better in many respects.

Even General Bradley wrote in his notes that due to the incessant dampness and cold, the American army lost 12 thousand excellent soldiers in just 1 month, many were never able to get up in line. He also wrote that diseases of rheumatism of the legs spread in his army faster than the plague once, this phenomenon reached its apogee in January. The US army was not ready for dampness and frost, when they began to instruct the soldiers in detail on how to properly care for their feet, the general realized that it was already too late. At the front, during a period of bad weather, the American army had a very hard time, there were no high boots and footcloths. Apparently, active scientists were "grown" only in.

Read related material: Military helmet

Oh, those footcloths ...

We can safely say that simple footcloths turned out to be no less useful in the difficult service of a soldier than such successful tarpaulin boots. Also a very useful invention like socks, it does not get along with tarpaulin boots at all, those who wore them in these boots know for sure that socks turn into dust. And if the boots are worn with socks for a long time, the result will also be bloody feet and calluses.

A universal way of using footcloths, which only Russians could come up with, is when the footcloths get wet, then they are changed with the other side (from the bootleg to the lower part) and the legs are dry again, and the wet part will dry at this time. Another way that other countries cannot understand is winding up several footcloths, this method is actively used in winter, and newspapers were inserted into the footcloths to keep warm.

Kirz boots were a recognized national brand; they could count on nationwide love without bragging. To date, more than 150 million pairs have been produced. When in the Russian army they say that it will be changed into ankle boots, our soldiers defiantly wear kirzachs, comfortable in military life, again and again. Dembel is made of them "screws" on the occasion of the end of their service life, smart shoes are obtained by folding them with an accordion.

The tarpaulin boots have traveled a great path from the moment of their creation, until they were launched into the stream of working and military people, and together with them our soldiers came to victory in the War.

The tarpaulin boot definitely helped our soldiers reach Berlin in 1945!

You will laugh, but the tarpaulin was also invented in the Russian Empire, and the quilted jacket is generally a medieval notion.

Kirza

How comfortable and practical the boots are, in off-road conditions and wars, people understood a long time ago, but the cost of these shoes is high. Too much natural leather was used for each pair, and there was no alternative raw material. For example, during the Napoleonic wars, the soldiers of the European armies were content with shoes. Boots were the privilege of officers. Shoes and windings were used in the Russian army and the Red Army until the mid-40s. So everything is learned in comparison, Kirzachi is a great step forward compared to shoes with windings.

In short, the chain of discoveries that led to the appearance of cheap tarpaulin boots looks like this.

It all started with the appearance of rubber in the arsenal of chemists. Scottish chemist Charles Mackintosh (1766-1843) accidentally discovered in the course of experiments with latex that fabric soaked in "rubber juice" acquires water-repellent properties. But the first rubberized fabrics were expensive, crumbled in the cold, melted in the sun and did not allow air to pass through.

The search began for options using rubber substitutes. The Russian scientist Mikhail Pomortsev achieved brilliant results in this field. In 1904, he received a waterproof tarpaulin, which was successfully tested as a material for covers for artillery pieces and forage sacks. This tarpaulin was much stiffer and denser than ordinary fabric, which prompted Pomortsev to create a substitute for shoe leather. The desired result was soon achieved. The emulsion for impregnation consisted of egg yolk, rosin and paraffin, and a dense multilayer cotton cloth "kirza" was used as a fabric base. In the Russian language this word migrated from English, where the word "kersey" was called a rough woolen fabric - after the name of the village of Kersey, where a special breed of sheep was bred, from whose wool this fabric was produced.

The fabric was successfully tested in 1904 during the Russo-Japanese War as a material for the manufacture of horse harness, bags, covers, etc. Samples of fabrics developed according to the Pomortsev method were exhibited by the Ministry of Industry at international exhibitions in Liege (July 1905) and Milan (June 1906). In Milan, Mikhail Mikhailovich's work was awarded the Gold Medal. In addition, for the development of methods for obtaining leather substitutes, he received an encouraging review at the Aeronautical Exhibition in St. Petersburg (1911) and was awarded a Small Silver Medal at the All-Russian Hygienic Exhibition in St. Petersburg in 1913.

When the First World War began, M.M.Pomortsev offered to use the leather substitutes he had invented free of charge for the manufacture of soldiers' boots. Based on the results of tests of experimental batches, the Military-Industrial Committee recommended the manufacture of a large batch of such boots for the troops, but after the death of Mikhail Mikhailovich in 1916, the matter was let down on the brakes.

Subsequently, the word "tarpaulin" was assigned to Pomortsev's leatherette on a cotton basis. The material obtained by the scientist had two undoubted advantages. Firstly, it was relatively easy to manufacture, and secondly, it had the hygienic properties of natural leather: impermeability to water combined with the ability to "breathe".

But hevea did not take root in the USSR, and for 20 years they forgot about Kirza.
The scarce natural rubber was bought for foreign currency...

The second birth of the kersey was due to other Russian scientists - Boris Byzov and Sergei Lebedev. They developed a method for producing a very cheap artificial sodium butadiene rubber, but both scientists died in 1934 - immediately after the beginning of the production of rubber on an industrial scale. A year later, engineers Alexander Khomutov and Ivan Plotnikov designed technological equipment and, using the recently discovered new material and Pomortsev's method, they received the first Soviet tarpaulin.

The quality of the first Soviet tarpaulin, where recently obtained synthetic rubber was used instead of Pomortsev's composition, left much to be desired: the material cracked and broke. Due to the unsatisfactoryness of the footwear produced, as well as the sufficient amount of natural leather for its manufacture, the tarpaulin was soon forgotten. However, by the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, it was discovered that there was a catastrophic lack of natural material for the production of footwear. With the onset of cold weather, a wave of frostbite began ...

Ivan Plotnikov was urgently recalled from the Moscow militia, was appointed chief engineer of the Kozhimit plant and given him a task: to improve the technology of making a tarpaulin as soon as possible. After about a year of hard work, the production of the material and the tailoring of the boots were established. Shoes made of modified tarpaulin turned out to be light and durable, perfectly kept warm and did not let moisture through.

On April 10, 1942, by a decree of the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR, a group of eleven scientists, engineers and technologists, including Plotnikov and Khomutov already known to us, was awarded the Stalin Prize of the 2nd degree (one hundred thousand rubles) "for the invention and introduction of leather substitutes into the industry." ... That was the official wording. But in essence it should have been written: "for the opportunity to put soldiers in their boots." By May 1945, the Red Army numbered ten million fighters shod in kirzachi.

Since then, the USSR, and later Russia, has been the world's largest producer of tarpaulin. About 85% of modern tarpaulin production in Russia is intended for the manufacture of army footwear (boots and boots). To date, about 150 million pairs of tarpaulin shoes have been produced.

Another thing is that since then science has not stood still and Kirza, like a leather substitute, has become catastrophically out of date, after all, more than a hundred years on the arena ... As for footcloths, this is a separate story ..

Vatnik

How did the quilted jacket come about? And when? Something like a quilted quilted jacket existed in the 11th century:

“Considering the European Middle Ages, one can first come across references to quilted military clothing in Greece in the 11th century. The so-called "linen carapace" of Konrad of Monferat (1185-1190) is a kabadion, a short sleeveless jacket - a "poncho" made of many (usually 18) quilted layers of felt or linen, waxed or soaked in wine or vinegar.

Another type of quilting, known from "Tactics" of Leo VI, "Strategicon" of Mauritius - from several layers of linen and silk, again quilted together with layers of cotton wool between them "(Esq. Anthony," Welsh Squad "). By the way, there is a good illustration of this - the painting "Banquet" by Abraham Van Beyeren, painted in 1533. This is a group portrait of the crossbowmen - all wearing quilted jackets. As you can see, there is quilted clothing, similar to a quilted jacket, but it has a different purpose: protection from arrows, and a jacket under armor and chain mail.

But when did a quilted quilted jacket (aka a quilted jacket) become such an indispensable part of everyday life as, say, a table or a chair? There are no direct indications of the date of the appearance of the quilted jacket in such a role. It is possible only by some signs to judge the time of its widespread distribution. As it were, it is implied that the quilted jacket is closely related to correctional institutions. But it was not always so. There is indirect evidence that in the 19th century, the quilted jacket was not clothing for prisoners.

The artist Nikolai Aleksandrovich Yaroshenko in the painting "Life is everywhere" depicted the inhabitants of the prison carriage. None of them have a quilted jacket. The existence of a quilted jacket in the mid-20s of the last century has a somewhat unusual documentary confirmation: “The photographs and reproductions placed in the book do not duplicate the plot of fate, but become, as it were, a staged part of the drama of Maria Nikolaevna Yermolova.

From horse-drawn horses, domes and cobblestone squares of Moscow of her childhood, from the charming photograph of the “three sisters” of the Ermolovs of the 1870s. before the Maly Theater, defeated by the October battles of 1917, and the firm gaze of an old lady in a quilted jacket in a photograph of the mid-1920s. And this quilted quilted jacket overshadows the black velvet of the ceremonial portrait ”. (Ekaterina Khmeleva, "Quilted Jacket of the Maiden of Orleans") It is quite possible that the prototype of today's quilted jacket was a quilted Central Asian dressing gown. It was shortened so as not to interfere with movement. The padded jacket was a military uniform, it was the outerwear of the prisoners, it was the general outerwear. And it still retains its prominent place in the wardrobe of an innumerable number of people.

You need to remember and know this, But you probably shouldn't be proud of these inventions ...

A few days ago, on a railway platform, I noticed a group of recruits. They are standing in brand new camouflage suits, in ankle boots. But literally not so long ago, in 2001, when I served in the Army, soldiers wore greatcoats, earflaps and tarpaulin boots. Taking into account the fact that all this was already bad, and the frost sometimes stood under 30, it was scary to watch these overcoats fluttering in the wind and footcloths sticking out of leaky boots. Soon everyone will probably forget what kind of tarpaulin boots they are.

Kirz boots are more than shoes. Ivan Plotnikov, who set up their production before the war, received the Stalin Prize. After the war, everyone wore "kirzachs" - from old people to schoolchildren.

Let's remember their history ...

Birth

By the First World War, the long army confrontation between boots and boots was brought to an end. The boots definitely won. Even in those armies where there was not enough material to make boots, soldiers' legs were still wrapped almost to the knee. It was a forced imitation of boots. Mustard-colored windings have gone through the war, for example, British soldiers. The soldiers of the Russian army, by the way, in the First World War were the only ones who could afford to flaunt in real leather boots. Like any cult thing about tarpaulin boots, there are a lot of speculations and rumors. So, one of the misconceptions is that "kirzachi" got their name from the "Kirov plant", which established their production. In fact, the legendary boots got their name from the Kersey wool fabric from which they were originally made.

There are also a lot of misconceptions about who first created tarpaulin boots. Let's dot the i. The priority in this matter belongs to the Russian inventor Mikhail Pomortsev. He received a canvas cloth impregnated with a mixture of paraffin, rosin and egg yolk in 1904. The material had properties almost identical to leather. He did not let water through, but at the same time he "breathed". For the first time, the tarpaulin "sniffed gunpowder" in the Russo-Japanese War, where it was used to make ammunition for horses, bags and covers for artillery.

Pomortsev's material was highly appreciated by both soldiers and experts at international exhibitions, it was already decided to release a batch of boots from it, but their mass production was never established. At first, leather lobbyists interfered with the case, and in 1916 Mikhail Mikhailovich died. The boots were “put on the shelf” for almost 20 years.

Second birth

The production of tarpaulin was revived already in 1934. Soviet scientists Boris Byzov and Sergei Lebedev developed a method for obtaining cheap artificial sodium butadiene rubber, which was impregnated with fabric, which is why it acquired properties similar to natural leather. We owe the further development of the production of tarpaulin boots to the chemist Ivan Plotnikov. It was thanks to his efforts that the production of "kirzach" was established in the country.

They passed a combat test back in the Soviet-Finnish war, but this experience ended unsuccessfully - in the cold the boots cracked, became hard and brittle. Plotnikov's daughter Lyudmila recalled how her father told her about the commission at which the "debriefing" of the use of the new material took place.
Ivan Vasilyevich was asked: "Why is your tarpaulin so cold and does not breathe?" He replied: "The bull and the cow have not yet shared all their secrets with us."

Fortunately, the chemist was not punished for such insolence. On the contrary, after the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, an acute shortage of shoes became obvious. This was where Plotnikov's experience came in handy. He was instructed to improve the production technology of tarpaulin as soon as possible. Kosygin himself supervised the issue. Plotnikov coped with the task. Moreover, he set up the production of "kirzach" in Kirov. On April 10, 1942, he received the Stalin Prize. By the end of the war, 10 million Soviet soldiers were wearing tarpaulin boots.

One of the symbols of Victory ...

Kirz boots gained well-deserved fame during the war. Tall, almost waterproof, but at the same time breathable, they allowed soldiers to march for miles on any road and off-road. How good the tarpaulin boots were can be judged by comparing them with American military boots.

General O. Bradley, author of The Soldier's Story, wrote that due to constant dampness, the American army lost 12,000 combatants in just one month. Some of them were never able to recover after that and return to the front.

O. Bradley wrote:

“By the end of January, the disease of rheumatism of the legs had reached such a large scale that the American command was at an impasse. We were completely unprepared for this disaster, partly as a result of our own negligence; by the time we began to instruct the soldiers on how to care for their feet and what to do to keep their boots dry, rheumatism had already spread through the army with the swiftness of the plague.

Without high boots and footcloths on the autumn and winter front, it was hard.

Footcloths

It can be admitted that footcloths are no less ingenious invention than tarpaulin boots themselves. However, they are inseparable. Those who have tried to wear tarpaulin boots with a toe know that socks will surely roll down the heel sooner or later. Then, especially if you are on a march and cannot stop, write wasted ... Feet in the blood.

In addition, footcloths are also convenient because if they get wet, it is enough to wind them with the other side, then the leg will still remain dry, and the wet part of the footcloth will dry out in the meantime.

The spacious top of the "kirzach" allows you to wind up two footcloths in cold weather, plus put newspapers in them in order to keep warm.

People's love

This 1950 ad was perhaps optional. After the war, Kirz boots became a "national brand". To date, these shoes have produced approximately 150 million pairs. Despite the talk that soon the army will be changed into ankle boots, the soldiers continue to wear "kirzachi", make "screws" out of them (rolling them with an accordion) and dress them up on the occasion of demobilization. Somewhere at the genetic level, the memory of how our soldiers in tarpaulin boots marched to the Great Victory lives in us.

Well, since this has already been touched upon in the post, let's find out this issue too.

Why are massive military boots called "ankle boots"? Maybe because they are convenient for breaking the opponent's shin bones?

"Ankle boot" is usually called the part of the boot that covers the shin, shin bones, but the same word has passed on to the boots themselves. Meanwhile, "ankle boots", however, is a colloquial, colloquial word - you cannot find it in the spelling dictionary. In this regard, it is difficult to determine its initial shape (tibia? Tibia?) And stressed syllable. In the literature, "ankle boots" can be found only in Bunin, but in the meaning of a shin.

She put on her bare feet, in shoes with horseshoes, her bare ankle boots were thin, but round, like polished yellow-brown wood from the sun (I. Bunin).

Probably, the writer was mistaken, referring to the bertz.

In the dictionary there is a tibia (or, which is the same thing, a tibia) - a word meaning the tibia itself. Usually etymologists regard it as a diminutive of "thigh", with an intermediate form of thigh. Obviously, from this the adjective "tibia" is formed, from which, in turn, comes the word - the object of our today's study. In a horse and other animals, where the knee is high, and the heel is raised and only toes step, the boot is incorrectly called the part of the leg from the brush to the ankle; this is the foot, and the tibia from the ankle to the knee (V. Dahl).

In the shoe industry, such shoes are called "boots with high boots", hence the name "ankle boots", which is firmly attached to this type of footwear. Ankle boots in the shoe industry are called the outer parts of the upper of the shoe, which cover the ankle (ankle) part of the leg. Laces and buckles are located on these parts of the shoe.

Unlike boots, ankle boots fix the ankle with high lacing and at the same time leave it as mobile as possible, thereby reducing the likelihood of tendon sprains during increased physical exertion. Thanks to this quality, ankle boots have become indispensable footwear for the military.

During World War II, most soldiers wore boots or low lace-up shoes. However, as practice has shown, wearing such shoes often led to fractures, especially when landing with a parachute. For the needs of the parachute landing, high laced boots were developed - the prototype of modern ankle boots. After World War II, NATO armies gradually began to use ankle boots as the main type of army footwear. The American army began the transition from low boots of the 1943 model to high ankle boots in 1957 and finally the American army changed into ankle boots by the end of the 60s of the twentieth century.

At the same time, the Soviet Army continued to use boots until the end of its existence. And already the Ministry of Defense of Russia in 2007 announced the transition from boots to ankle boots. The full transition has not yet been completed, and it is unlikely to take place, due to the uniqueness of the natural conditions of Russia. As before, in the Russian army, tarpaulin, rubber and dried shoes are also relevant. Although every year more and more soldiers and commanders change into comfortable, high-quality ankle boots suitable for military field conditions.

With the advent of the military style, ankle boots have confidently taken their place among casual shoes. Today, ankle boots are popular among members of a number of subcultures, and are also often used as special shoes for outdoor activities, hunting, and fishing.

sources

Kirz boots are more than shoes. Ivan Plotnikov, who set up their production before the war, received the Stalin Prize.

The creator of tarpaulin boots, Ivan Plotnikov

After the war, everyone used to wear "kirzachs" - from old people to schoolchildren. They are still in use today. Because boots soldier's tarpaulin - the most reliable ...

Birth...

By the First World War, the long army confrontation between boots and boots came to an end. The boots definitely won. Even in those armies where there was not enough material to make boots, the soldiers' legs were still wrapped almost to the knee. It was a forced imitation of boots. Mustard-colored windings have gone through the war, for example, British soldiers. The soldiers of the Russian army, by the way, in the First World War were the only ones who could afford to flaunt in real leather boots.
As with any cult thing about tarpaulin boots, there are a lot of speculations and rumors. So, one of the misconceptions is that "kirzachi" got their name from the "Kirov factory", which established their production. In fact, the legendary boots got their name from the Kersey wool fabric from which they were originally made.
There are also a lot of misconceptions about who first created tarpaulin boots. Let's dot the i. The priority in this matter belongs to the Russian inventor Mikhail Pomortsev. He received a canvas cloth impregnated with a mixture of paraffin, rosin and egg yolk in 1904. The material had properties almost identical to leather. He did not let water through, but at the same time he "breathed". For the first time, the tarpaulin "sniffed gunpowder" in the Russo-Japanese War, where it was used to make ammunition for horses, bags and covers for artillery.
Pomortsev's material was highly appreciated by both soldiers and experts at international exhibitions, it was already decided to release a batch of boots from it, but their mass production was never established. At first, leather lobbyists interfered with the case, and in 1916 Mikhail Mikhailovich died. The boots were "put on the shelf" for almost 20 years.

Second birth...

The production of tarpaulin was revived already in 1934. Soviet scientists Boris Byzov and Sergei Lebedev developed a method for obtaining cheap artificial sodium butadiene rubber, which was impregnated with fabric, which is why it acquired properties similar to natural leather. We owe the further development of the production of tarpaulin boots to the chemist Ivan Plotnikov. It was thanks to his efforts that the production of "kirzach" was established in the country.
They passed a combat test back in the Soviet-Finnish war, but this experience ended unsuccessfully - in the cold the boots cracked, became hard and brittle. Plotnikov's daughter Lyudmila recalled how her father told her about the commission at which the "debriefing" of the use of the new material took place.
Ivan Vasilyevich was asked: "Why is your tarpaulin so cold and does not breathe?" He replied: "The bull and the cow have not yet shared all their secrets with us."
Fortunately, the chemist was not punished for such insolence. On the contrary, after the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, an acute shortage of shoes became obvious. This was where Plotnikov's experience came in handy. He was instructed to improve the production technology of tarpaulin as soon as possible. Kosygin himself supervised the issue. Plotnikov coped with the task. Moreover, he set up the production of "kirzach" in Kirov. On April 10, 1942, he received the Stalin Prize. By the end of the war, 10 million Soviet soldiers were wearing tarpaulin boots.

One of the symbols of Victory ...

Kirz boots gained well-deserved fame during the war. High, almost waterproof, but at the same time breathable, they allowed soldiers to march for miles on any road and off-road. How good the tarpaulin boots were can be judged by comparing them with American military boots.
General O. Bradley, author of The Soldier's Story, wrote that due to constant dampness, the American army lost 12,000 combatants in just one month. Some of them were never able to recover after that and return to the front.
O. Bradley wrote: "By the end of January, the disease of rheumatism of the legs had reached such a large scale that the American command was at an impasse. We were completely unprepared for this disaster, partly as a result of our own negligence; by the time we began to instruct the soldiers what they needed foot care and what to do to keep the shoes from getting wet, rheumatism has already spread throughout the army with the speed of the plague. "
Without high boots and footcloths on the autumn and winter front, it was hard.

Footcloths ...

It can be admitted that footcloths are no less ingenious invention than tarpaulin boots themselves. However, they are inseparable. Those who have tried to wear tarpaulin boots with a toe know that socks will surely roll down the heel sooner or later. Then, especially if you are on a march and cannot stop, write lost ... Feet in the blood.
In addition, footcloths are also convenient because if they get wet, it is enough to wind them with the other side, then the leg will still remain dry, and the wet part of the footcloth will dry out in the meantime.
The spacious top of the "kirzach" allows you to wind up two footcloths in cold weather, plus put newspapers in them in order to keep warm.

Kirz boots are more than shoes. Ivan Plotnikov, who set up their production before the war, received the Stalin Prize. After the war, everyone wore "kirzachs" - from old people to schoolchildren. They are still in use today. Because they are reliable.

Birth.

By the First World War, the long army confrontation between boots and boots was brought to an end. The boots definitely won. Even in those armies where there was not enough material to make boots, soldiers' legs were still wrapped almost to the knee. It was a forced imitation of boots. Mustard-colored windings have gone through the war, for example, British soldiers. The soldiers of the Russian army, by the way, in the First World War were the only ones who could afford to flaunt in real leather boots.
As with any cult item, there are a lot of speculations and rumors about tarpaulin boots. So, one of the misconceptions is that "kirzachi" got their name from the "Kirov plant", which established their production. In fact, the legendary boots got their name from the Kersey wool fabric from which they were originally made.
There are also a lot of misconceptions about who first created tarpaulin boots. Let's dot the i. The priority in this matter belongs to the Russian inventor Mikhail Pomortsev. He received a canvas cloth impregnated with a mixture of paraffin, rosin and egg yolk in 1904. The material had properties almost identical to leather. He did not let water through, but at the same time he "breathed". For the first time, the tarpaulin "sniffed gunpowder" in the Russo-Japanese War, where it was used to make ammunition for horses, bags and covers for artillery.
Pomortsev's material was highly appreciated by both soldiers and experts at international exhibitions, it was already decided to release a batch of boots from it, but their mass production was never established. At first, leather lobbyists interfered with the case, and in 1916 Mikhail Mikhailovich died. The boots were “put on the shelf” for almost 20 years.

Second birth.

The production of tarpaulin was revived already in 1934. Soviet scientists Boris Byzov and Sergei Lebedev developed a method for producing cheap artificial sodium butadiene rubber, which impregnated the fabric, which made it acquire properties similar to natural leather. We owe the further development of the production of tarpaulin boots to the chemist Ivan Plotnikov. It was thanks to his efforts that the production of "kirzach" was established in the country.
They passed a combat test back in the Soviet-Finnish war, but this experience ended unsuccessfully - in the cold the boots cracked, became hard and brittle. Plotnikov's daughter Lyudmila recalled how her father told her about the commission at which the "debriefing" of the use of the new material took place.
Ivan Vasilyevich was asked: "Why is your tarpaulin so cold and does not breathe?" He replied: "The bull and the cow have not yet shared all their secrets with us."
Fortunately, the chemist was not punished for such insolence. On the contrary, after the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, an acute shortage of shoes became obvious. This was where Plotnikov's experience came in handy. He was instructed to improve the production technology of tarpaulin as soon as possible. Kosygin himself supervised the issue. Plotnikov coped with the task. Moreover, he set up the production of "kirzach" in Kirov. On April 10, 1942, he received the Stalin Prize. By the end of the war, 10 million Soviet soldiers were wearing tarpaulin boots.

One of the symbols of victory

Kirz boots gained well-deserved fame during the war. High, almost waterproof, but at the same time breathable, they allowed soldiers to march for miles on any road and off-road. How good the tarpaulin boots were can be judged by comparing them with American military boots.
General O. Bradley, author of The Soldier's Story, wrote that due to constant dampness, the American army lost 12,000 combatants in just one month. Some of them were never able to recover after that and return to the front.
O. Bradley wrote: “By the end of January, the disease of rheumatism of the legs had reached such a large scale that the American command was at a standstill. We were completely unprepared for this disaster, partly as a result of our own negligence; by the time we began to instruct the soldiers on how to care for their feet and what to do to keep their boots dry, rheumatism had already spread through the army with the swiftness of the plague.
Without high boots and footcloths on the autumn and winter front, it was hard.

Footcloths.

It can be admitted that footcloths are no less ingenious invention than tarpaulin boots themselves. However, they are inseparable. Those who have tried to wear tarpaulin boots with a toe know that socks will surely roll down the heel sooner or later. Then, especially if you are on a march and cannot stop, write wasted ... Feet in the blood.
In addition, footcloths are also convenient because if they get wet, it is enough to wind them with the other side, then the leg will still remain dry, and the wet part of the footcloth will dry out in the meantime.
The spacious top of the "kirzach" allows you to wind up two footcloths in cold weather, plus put newspapers in them in order to keep warm.

People's love

This 1950 ad was perhaps optional. After the war, Kirz boots became a "national brand". To date, these shoes have produced approximately 150 million pairs. Despite the talk that soon the army will be changed into ankle boots, the soldiers continue to wear "kirzachi", make "screws" out of them (rolling them with an accordion) and dress them up on the occasion of demobilization. Somewhere at the genetic level, the memory of how our soldiers in tarpaulin boots marched to the Great Victory lives in us.