# Regarding German Magnetic Mines



## Zipper730 (Oct 20, 2017)

I saw an interesting article on YouTube


_View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eht0sGmiyBM_


I'm curious if this guy was actually right, that this mine had that significant a role in the war? If so, there any other cases the Luftwaffe dropped one of these babies on land?


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## wuzak (Oct 20, 2017)

_View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yMIXL1Mxkp0_

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## Zipper730 (Oct 20, 2017)

wuzak,

1. Were there any other cases where mines would/could have been picked up?

2. Would you say that idea of coiling cables around the ship would have been eventually implemented had the mine not been recovered (On one hand there weren't many scientists working on the matter, but that had more to do with running cables through pipes or the port-based degaussing system)


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## swampyankee (Oct 20, 2017)

Yes, German mines had a significant effect on WW2. US Mines had a similar significant effect in the Pacific and British mines in the waters around Europe.

Sea mines are incredibly cost-effective weapons.

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## wuzak (Oct 20, 2017)

Zipper730 said:


> wuzak,
> 
> 1. Were there any other cases where mines would/could have been picked up?
> 
> 2. Would you say that idea of coiling cables around the ship would have been eventually implemented had the mine not been recovered (On one hand there weren't many scientists working on the matter, but that had more to do with running cables through pipes or the port-based degaussing system)



1. I do not know

2. This only would have occurred if they figured it was a magnetic mine. And by studying it they were able to determine the sensitivity, which enabled them to make countermeasures.

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## wuzak (Oct 20, 2017)

swampyankee said:


> Yes, German mines had a significant effect on WW2. US Mines had a similar significant effect in the Pacific and British mines in the waters around Europe.
> 
> Sea mines are incredibly cost-effective weapons.



Britain also mined the inland waterways of Germany, which were used in freight transport.

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## Micdrow (Oct 21, 2017)

Zipper you may also find this interesting, It's a pdf manual on German under water mines.

All the best
Paul


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## swampyankee (Oct 21, 2017)

wuzak said:


> 1. I do not know
> 
> 2. This only would have occurred if they figured it was a magnetic mine. And by studying it they were able to determine the sensitivity, which enabled them to make countermeasures.



The RN also developed magnetic mines, independently of Germany. Not being idiots, and not thinking the Germans to be such, they probably started developing countermeasures in the event magnetic mines were developed by somebody else.


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## pbehn (Oct 21, 2017)

swampyankee said:


> The RN also developed magnetic mines, independently of Germany. Not being idiots, and not thinking the Germans to be such, they probably started developing countermeasures in the event magnetic mines were developed by somebody else.


De magnetising a ship was called de Gaussing which sort of reinforces your point.


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## Barrett (Oct 26, 2017)

Reminds me: One of my Euro naval contacts is huge on U-boats and knows just about everything about 'em. Years ago he mentioned that some of the Kriegsmarine ordies who developed faulty magnetic detonators went to prison. I had to admit that the Bureau of Ordnance types who developed (and prohibited adequate testing) of ours...made admiral. In fact, the BuOrd chief at the time became Fleet Admiral Leahy, FDR's briefcase carrier. (Evidently he got the 5th star so the Brit field marshals would return his calls.) Far as I know, the major torpedo improvements & concepts during the war came from industry, not the navy.


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## yosimitesam (Oct 28, 2017)

The best book I've read on mines, mining, and minesweeping in WW2 is: "Allied Minesweeping in World War 2" by Peter Elliot (1979). It's mostly about naval mine sweeping (obviously) but has a huge amount of information on aerial mining and mine types. e.g. acoustic, magnetic and the unsweepable pressure ("oyster") mines.


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