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.