298 Chapter 375 Mines

Mines, deployed in water, often catch their targets off guard, causing massive damage to passing ships.

The earliest written record of "mines" can be found in the book "Wu Bian" compiled by Tang Shunzhi, a hero who resisted the Japanese invasion during the Ming Dynasty. The section on firearms details the method of making these mines: "Use large wooden boxes, seal them with oil and lime, place fire inside, and attach ropes above and three iron anchors below." This is the earliest written record in the world about the structure of mines.

In 1590, during the 18th year of the Wanli reign of the Ming Dynasty, the earliest floating mines were invented— the "Underwater Dragon King Cannon" with incense as a time-delay fuse. Nine years later, the famous general Wang Heming invented the "Underwater Sounding Thunder," which used ropes as contact fuses, and it was detailed in the book "Questions and Answers on Fire Attack." Later, after several improvements, contact-triggered floating mines were born. In "Tiangong Kaiwu" by the Ming Dynasty scientist Song Yingxing, they were named "Mixed-River Dragon."

It wasn't until the 18th century that Europe and America began using mines in actual combat. During the American Revolutionary War, in an attempt to attack British warships anchored at the mouth of the Delaware River in Philadelphia, the American people made mines by placing gunpowder and mechanical detonators in small beer barrels and floated them downstream on January 7, 1778. Although they didn't encounter any warships at the time, they exploded suddenly when picked up by British sailors, killing and injuring some people, known as the "Barrel War."

Modern mines were widely used for the first time during the Russo-Japanese War (1904-1905), using contact mines. These mines, shaped like round spheres with several antennae, would explode upon contact with any part of a ship. They floated in shallow waters and were anchored by chains. When the tide was right, they would be just below the water's surface, exploding immediately upon contact with a ship. During the Russo-Japanese War, about 2,000 such mines were used, destroying 16 ships. It took an average of 125 mines to sink one ship.

During World War I (1914-1918), modern mine warfare tactics and mine-clearing techniques were developed. Thousands of mines were laid in the North Sea to form defensive barriers against enemy movements. By quietly laying mines on known enemy ship routes, mines could also play an offensive role. Over 230,000 mines were laid, resulting in the loss of over 1,000 merchant ships and warships. It took over 200 mines on average to sink one ship.

During World War II, the belligerent countries made huge efforts to develop better mine-clearing techniques to deal with more mines. During the war, a total of 100,000 offensive mines were used by all countries, sinking 2,665 ships. This means an average of 37 mines were used to sink one ship. Additionally, about 208,000 defensive mines were used to block enemy advances and deplete their resources.

After the war, countries fully recognized the high "cost-effectiveness" of mines and intensified the development of new types of mines. Representative examples include Switzerland's "Storm" mine, the UK's multi-sensor "Stonefish" mine, the Soviet Union's directional attack mine, and the US-developed self-propelled mine.

However, due to characteristics such as easy deployment and difficult clearance, and the long underwater lifecycle, mines presented a scene of old and new members competing on the same stage during this period. Especially for some countries with underdeveloped naval and air equipment, old-style mines still brought unexpected results in local wars after World War II. In the Vietnam War, the American USS Card light aircraft carrier was sunk by a mine. In the Iran-Iraq War, a simple old-fashioned mine worth only $1,500 blew a large hole in the American new-type missile frigate USS Roberts, causing nearly $100 million in losses.

Therefore, like chemical weapons, mines are hailed as the "atomic bomb of poor countries."

Wilhelm plans to emulate the "Operation Starvation" conducted by the United States against Japan during World War II.

Japan was an industrialized but resource-poor island nation. During World War II, 92% of Japan's petroleum, 100% of its rubber and cotton, 87% of its iron ore, 90% of its coal, and 20% of its foodstuffs needed to be imported from abroad, and most domestic goods transportation relied on inland shipping.

It can be said that maritime trade routes were Japan's "lifelines." Recognizing this, the United States believed that by disrupting Japan's maritime trade routes, it could weaken its economic production capacity and destroy its war machine.

The "Operation Starvation" lasted from March 27, 1945, to August 15, with a duration of four and a half months. During this period, the U.S. military deployed 1,528 B-29 bombers, dropping 12,053 mines, including 4,900 magnetic mines, 3,500 acoustic mines, 2,900 pressure mines, and 700 low-frequency acoustic mines (excluding aircraft and mines deployed by the U.S. Navy). These mines sank or damaged over 670 ships, with 431 ships sunk or severely damaged beyond repair, totaling over 1.4 million tons, equivalent to 75% of Japan's total ship tonnage at the beginning of the campaign.

The effectiveness of the U.S. military's mining campaign was remarkably significant, with an average of one Japanese ship sunk for every 21 mines laid, while the U.S. military suffered extremely minimal losses, with only 15 aircraft lost.

The successful implementation of the "Operation Starvation" almost completely cut off Japan's vital maritime transport. By August 1945, compared to March 1945, the volume of shipping in the Shimonoseki Strait had decreased by 98%, almost completely halted, and only small vessels such as junks could navigate the Seto Inland Sea. During these four and a half months, imports decreased by 90%, and the supply of strategic materials such as oil, coal, and food needed for the war was nearly interrupted. Military factories, due to the shortage of raw materials, were forced to halt production or close down. A large number of aircraft and ships were grounded or unable to sail due to extreme fuel shortages, directly affecting the combat effectiveness of the armed forces. Due to the interruption of shipping, 2.5 million tons of rice piled up in Korean ports, while the supply of food within Japan became extremely difficult. To prioritize military needs, the rationing of food to the civilian population was reduced to a minimum, leaving people hungry and struggling on the brink of starvation.

This strategic mine-laying campaign was meticulously planned and executed by the U.S. military, with extensive preparation and coordination between air and naval forces. The concentration of forces, the vast area covered by mine-laying, and the intensity of the minefield were unprecedented. Especially in the final two stages, over two and a half months, a total of 878 aircraft sorties were dispatched, laying 7,288 mines, achieving significant results, and ultimately realizing the attempted total blockade of Japan's maritime traffic. It inflicted extremely heavy blows on Japan both materially and spiritually, demonstrating the significant role of mines, an ancient weapon, in modern warfare. Combined with strategic bombing, it greatly accelerated Japan's complete defeat.

Britain, also an island nation, relied on overseas imports for over 80% of its food and strategic materials, with an average of 2,500 ships sailing on the sea every day. Moreover, Britain's total coastline is approximately 11,450 kilometers, less than half of Japan's (total coastline of 29,751 kilometers), and considering the current situation, more than 600 kilometers of coastline on the English Channel side are practically unusable, rendering them useless to Britain.

Furthermore, mine sweeping is a time-consuming and costly technical endeavor. The former space-time Japan did not clear ninety percent of the mines laid by the U.S. military along its coast until the 1970s.

Therefore, Wilhelm has considerable confidence in this method and has gathered numerous mines from various European countries. Apart from landlocked countries, coastal countries equip more or less mines, and with Germany's own stockpile, the number of ordinary mines alone exceeds ten thousand.