Comfort or attractive appearance
– uniforms

Leather work aprons, protecting the soldier’s uniform and body against slight injuries, shrapnels, splinters, etc. have been a distinguishing mark of sappers since the 18th century. Sappers also wore watertight, comfortable boots made from well-tanned, greased leather for work in water or mud. Sappers used axes straight broad and one-sided blades in their engineering work and as a weapon. The other side often had the shape of a saw and was used for carpentry work. Properly used, the axe could break a sabre or a rapier in no time and deal a blow causing a terrible lacerated wound. It was better not to mess with sappers, tough sons of woodcutters and carpenters, who were familiar with hard work.

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