The Effects of Sea Mining on Amphibious Warfare

Nimble Books has published several public domain reprints of books on mine warfare that have sold surprisingly well over the years, probably because mine warfare is an effective mode of combat that has been persistently under-resourced and under-studied by Big Navy. In recent years the Navy and the Marine Corps seem to have abandoned the idea of ever risking a large-scale amphibious assault opposed by precision-guided missiles, but that does not mean mine warfare is no longer relevant to the expeditionary community. The new Navy/Marine doctrines for war in the Pacific still envisage many troop-bearing transits through contested and quite possibly mined waters, and the ““pacing threat”“ of a Chinese invasion of Taiwan would almost certainly involve a large amphibious assault where US mines might play an important role. This document is a thesis that examines the effects of sea mining on amphibious warfare. It includes case studies of amphibious assaults conducted at Gallipoli, Normandy, Wonsan, and the Persian Gulf during Operation Desert Storm. The study analyzes the forces involved, the mining conducted, and the impact of mining and mine countermeasures on the achievement of surprise in the assault. The study concludes that force levels are crucial for the success of amphibious assaults, with adequate force levels leading to successful operations. It also emphasizes the importance of rapid and complete mine countermeasures to achieve surprise in amphibious assaults. The document provides historical context, discusses the strategic and operational considerations of amphibious warfare, and highlights the significance of mine warfare in amphibious operations. This annotated edition illustrates the capabilities of the AI Lab for Book-Lovers to add context and ease-of-use to manuscripts. It includes five types of abstracts, building from simplest to more complex: TLDR (one word), ELI5, TLDR (vanilla), Scientific Style, and Action Items; three essays to increase viewpoint diversity: Grounds for Dissent, Red Team Critique, and MAGA Perspective; and Notable Passages and Nutshell Summaries for each page.