The Heller was clearly an innovative weapon. The sight incorporates a split image range finder which even with a short base of about 12 inches(?) would have gone a long way to solving the range-finding problem that plagued all such weapons at more than point-blank ranges before the advent of lasers.
Pretty sure I saw one of those sights for sale recently. Going to have to rack my memory on that one!
An interesting feature of the original packboard is the incorporation of a "tumpline" strap to go across the head. This method of load-carrying was introduced by the Canadian Expeditionary Force in WWI, and was clearly not forgotten in the early 1950s. Hard to believe, but it was found to be a highly efficient way to carrying heavy loads and was copied from the aboriginal/voyageur method of carrying loads.
Last edited by REL; 22-10-22 at 08:49.
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