Matrix Games Forums

I'm playing as Allies and I've mined the port at Rangoon with 100 plus mines. The IJ player has sailed up the river to bombard Rangoon with cruiser task forces with complete impunity from the mines. It would seem that it would be harder to avoid mines in a constricted area like a river, but that's not the case. Is this deliberate or an oversight? I'm very curious about whether this can be fixed.

This not a Tech problem with computer or software glitch. You should copy your post and repost on the WITP-AE Main Forum or War Room,

KS_Harp wrote: Thu Oct 08, 2026 5:08 pm I'm playing as Allies and I've mined the port at Rangoon with 100 plus mines. The IJ player has sailed up the river to bombard Rangoon with cruiser task forces with complete impunity from the mines. It would seem that it would be harder to avoid mines in a constricted area like a river, but that's not the case. Is this deliberate or an oversight? I'm very curious about whether this can be fixed.

Defensive minefields tend to be at their most effective against amphibious forces landing directly and intruding submarines. A bombardment force is likely assuming mines are in the area and is firing at a safe stand-off range. Bigger numbers help too. Even a 100+ minefield is a bit on the thin side compared to the major port minefields in place at game start.

It's down to the limitations of the map and the ability of a TF to stand off and bombard.

There's nothing in game that limits the amount of sea room in a coastal hex or navigable river although a nav river does prevent large ships, BB etc form sailing up them. So theroretically there's 4,156.9219 nm2 (nautical miles) for your 100 mines. Also, the games assumes mines are laid close to the shore so ships standing off and firing are unlikely to be affected by a small minefield.

It begs a question if the code puts mines evenly along the WHOLE length of a river in a river hex.

According to the latest manual it should be treated as a strait and mines would have more of an impact.

4.2.1.5.1 Tactical Map Straits
A separate attribute of some hex sides is the presence of a “strait” or narrow channel, through which ships must pass to
move from one hex to an adjacent hex when performing naval movement. There are two classes of “strait” on the Tactical
Map - “wide” straits and “narrow” straits. There is no map art which denotes the existence of a strait however a list of narrow
straits is provided in section 20.3 Appendix C.
Task Force movement through a strait can be affected in several ways:
● Vulnerability to mines. Task Forces moving through straits are more likely to hit mines that are located in the
hexes either side of the strait hex side.
33
● Vulnerability to attack by Coastal Guns. Task Forces moving through straits are more likely to be attacked by
coastal guns that are located in the hexes either side of the strait hex side.
● Naval Reaction. Task Forces with a “React to Enemy” movement order will not react through a strait towards
an enemy Task Force if there are any known CD defenses in the strait.
The effects of straits on naval movement are more pronounced for narrow straits and less pronounced for wide straits.
Players should not order Task Forces to cross narrow straits unless it is known enemy minefields and CD defenses are
minimal.

4.2.1.5.2 Tactical Map Navigable Rivers
A Navigable River is a river that ships may “sail” on. Technically the ships cross the purple river hex sides and therefore
sail in a zig zag manner. Ships may not “sail” on major or minor rivers even though they too have purple hex sides. An
example of a Navigable River is the Yangtze River from Shanghai to Wuchang. Beyond Wuchang, the Yangtze becomes
a Major River only.
Navigable Rivers impose the following limitations.
● Only ships with tonnages of 15,000 tons or less can sail on a Navigable River
● The river hex sides have effects on naval units that are similar to the effects of narrow straits meaning that Task
Forces are more vulnerable to mines and CD defenses
● Unlike narrow straits, a Task Force with a “React to Enemy” movement order will react towards an enemy Task
Force but only if the range between them is no more than 1 hex