Introduction

One of the elements that made Blitzkrieg possible was Germany's widespread usage of radio communications, both between tanks in a particular unit and with the overall operational command. The Germans weren't electronic superstars, neglecting, for example, other areas like radar and sonar that proved their undoing in the air and under the sea. But their mastery of the use of radio in tactical situations gave them a distinct advantage over their adversaries. As the war raged on and the perils grew, the Wehrmacht could even shift resources over the battlefield extremely efficiently.

Virtually all of their tanks all had radio sets- unlike, for example, the Russians, who skimped on radios. Otto Carius writes in Tigers in the Mud how German tankers aimed for the lead vehicle in a Soviet tank column because only the commander had a radio set. Knocking out that lead tank plunged the entire unit into the "Fog of War," and cut them off from reinforcements or artillery support.

German radio antennas were very specific in shape: the standard mast was a 2 meter aerial that tapers from a wider base to a sharp point. A stockier antenna was used on some non German-designed vehicles like the Pz. 38(t), but the 2 meter version is the most-common. While it's technically possible to make your own antennas from stretched sprue, brass accessories like this set of three antennas from SKP Model in the Czech Republic are simply too good to pass up. Why be a glutton for punishment?

The Kit

There's not much to the set:

Three brass 2m antenna masts in a Zip-loc baggie sealed inside a semi-rigid plastic bubble mounted on a card.

Most German armor kits today come with a styrene base ready for an antenna, but only the fancier kits with lots of bells & whistles actually include the radio mast itself. There's no assembly, you just add a little CA glue to the bottom of the mast, attach and you're ready for painting. At about $3 per kit, you can make yours look a whole lot better with a small investment.

Conclusion

There are several AM antennas currently available, and all are pretty much the same in terms of accuracy and quality. This set is pricier than other solutions, but still a good value.