Few things were as important as socks during WW1 and WW2. Conditions were horrible (to put it mildly), and the development of a condition called trench foot was common. Trench foot is a painful condition caused by long immersion in cold water, or mud, and marked by blackening and death of the surface tissue. It was responsible for taking lives and causing disabilities in both WW1 and WW2.
Fresh dry socks were a scarcity and US production couldn't keep up with the demand. The solution was to enlist the help of home knitters which included women, children, and the elderly. By WW2 the supply of socks was no longer a problem, and while the problem of trench foot was improved a great deal, the problem still persisted. Eventually a new type of shoe was created that combined a rubber outer, and felt on the inside. This new shoe technology, called a shoepac, combined with fresh dry socks finally all but solved the problem.
This remembrance day let us not forget the brave soldiers who, while fighting for our freedom, did not have such a simple thing we take for granted every day. They were far from home, they were in the mud, and something as simple as a dry pair of socks was a luxury they didn't have. Lest we forget.
Typical socks that were worn in WW1
The shoes that eventually improved the condition of trench foot during WW2.