Airframes
Benevolens Magister
Yes, I thought it might be a mark on the print.
The spring in the second photo is the same type seen on US aircraft up to late summer 1943, with the wire lead-in on the fuselage spine.
I've had a look at quite a few photos from late 1943 / early 1944 onwards, and they all show a lack of wire, with the VHF antenna being in the mast. Bear in mind this is in the ETO, operating from the UK - other theaters mostly still used the wire for HF radios.
The spring in the second photo is the same type seen on US aircraft up to late summer 1943, with the wire lead-in on the fuselage spine.
I've had a look at quite a few photos from late 1943 / early 1944 onwards, and they all show a lack of wire, with the VHF antenna being in the mast. Bear in mind this is in the ETO, operating from the UK - other theaters mostly still used the wire for HF radios.