Type 3 A/C mine

[RGIJN]

Just browsed thru some files containing UV game data at Spooky´s website and found something very interesting. It seems there is a "type 3 mine". It is weapon #82 (japanese), with an explosive charge of 110 lbs, made for Drift/Contact. THE MOST INTERESTING fact is: it is intended for use from aircraft. I´ve never heard of that. Can you drop mines by a/c at all? How does this work??? [&:]

[tocaff]

To my understanding the ordinance carried by ac is determined by the target and distance of travel.  A ship/torp at normal range, extended bombs for example.  I've never seen air dropped mines.  Maybe it was a thought and then not carried through.  

[RGIJN]

want to bring up this amazing issue once again.
Just browsed Spookys site, here are the details to my finding: you need to go to the UV section, chose "files/scenarios" and get the "UV 1.10 stats". From these, open "AC WEAPONS" (an Excel file). At sheet 1, line 26 you should find weapon #26. It´s clearly described as "Type 3 mine", used from A/C.
Would appreciate any further info / experience with that weapon. Or is it as Todd already suspected a deliberate feature that not made into the final game eventually? Maybe it was cut by one of the patches?
Though I´ve checked the notes to (most of) the patches, I never read there something about such a mine. However, I found out at the web the Japanese had indeed such a type 3 mine, it was a ceramic landmine with 3 kg (6.6 lbs) of explosives and a diameter of 27 cm (10").

TIA,
Ralf




P.S.: Spookys UV & WitP site -> http://mathubert.free.fr/

[HansBolter]

I don't know the particulars of how it works Ralf, but I know it was done extensively in the late war period. Initially the US navy was in the aerial mining bussiness but later they turned it over to the Army Air Corps and it was mostly done by the B-29s.

[RGIJN]

yeah right. And I would be happy if we could make it work for the japanese since this ordnance obviously exists in the UV database! Maybe there is just a special type of A/C that can undertake such missions. Would suspect one of the IJA types since the mine seems to be a landmine. Though mining the seas would be even better...!

[tocaff]

The B-29 mining campaign of the Inland Sea was a huge success.  The US had no idea how well the operation had worked until after the war.  The B-29 crews, on the other hand, were less that happy about flying with these mines in their bomb bays as 1 bullet or flying metal shard could vaporize a plane.  My dad metioned this happening once in their formation.  Take offs were very dangerous with these loads also as the A model of the B-29 went straight from the drawing board to production and it was underpowered and these loads were heavy.