* World War II -- technology naval weapons mines








World War II: Naval Weaponry and Equipment

World War II weapons and equiopment
Figure 1.--.

Another important World War II weaoon was the mine. There are three basic types of mines. First, drifting mines are deployed in the water and move with currents. Second, Moored mines are free to move, but are tethered within the limits permitted by some sort of rope and anchor attached to the mine. Third, bottom mines are not designed to move. at all. Mines are laid in different ways. Mines unuil World War II were mostly laid by surface vessels. Submarines began laying mines in World War I, but much larger numbers were laid by World War II submarines. Finally in World War II, aircraft began laying mines in substantial numbers. Mines also vary as to how they detonate. Contact mines are denotared when they phu=yicall contact a vessel. Influence mines are detonated without physical contacr. Rather they are influenced by magnetic, acoustic, or pressure fields. Controlled mines are detonated from a shore station. They are designed as both offensive or defensive weapons. Mine were generally see as a defendive weapon, but in the hanbds of the AZnericans anf Germans became an offensive weapon. Many were laid as part of coastal defenses, but many thousands were also laid in enemy waters as an offensive weapon. This was primarily to cut Britain and Japan off from international commerce. Naval mines played an important role in World War II although not as important as in World War I when the Brutish effectively bottled up the Germans in the North Sea. The German seizure of Norway and subsequenty France (1940) meant that the British could not create an effective North Sea mine barrier to restrict German fleet operatioins and to an extent the U-boats as they did in World War I. Both the Germans and British used mines in the Battle of the Atlantic. The Briutish laid mine fiekls, the Germans were more interested un sewing mines in the sea lanes. The Germans devised some novel minds, but they were quickly countered by the British. Mine swere used in the Baltic and Mediterranean by differebnt navies. The Germazbs layed mines in the English Channel to little effect. The Americans were the ciuntry that moist effectively used mines, primarily in the Pacific. Mines could be laid by both surface ships abd submarines in addition to aircraft. The German Luftwaffe laid some mines. It was primarily the Unired States wwith its huge air foirce that had the ability to lay mines by ircraft in any numbers. It used mines to tighten the blockade around the Home Island at the end of the War. U.S. aircraft laid more than 12,000 mines in Japanese shipping routes and harbor approaches, sinking roughly 650 Japanese ships and disrupting all of their maritime shipping. They proived to be a major problem after the War.







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Created: 3:54 AM 7/10/2012
Last updated: 5:36 AM 9/24/2020