"Mine field ???" Topic

I have received a number of requests to sculpt mine fields. I will start later next week. Any ideas and/or suggestions?

Dan

Raised bumps on the otherwise flat ground.

Perhaps the odd mine, uncovered by rain, or not hastily covered.

You might be able to get some ideas here:
link

Of course, a minefield that's in any way discernible with the naked eye is useless.

Of course, a minefield that's in any way discernible with the naked eye is useless.

Not so sure about that. Dummy minefields were used to deny ground or channel the enemy into a fire zone, and a visible real minefield would have the same effect.

Field with sign. Go on the cheap and just do the sign.

BTW – a known mine field will be avoided but will not be useless since it will channel troops into the kill zone.

I use the mobile mine craters from WARLORD with a Mine sign in the middle to identify the general location of the minefield. Amazing how many gamers will dare the field and get blown up: link

So the mushrooms belong to the man who made the map…?

Empty field with small crater next to which is a dead cow…

:-)

Depends if the mines are ripe or not.

I miss the old MARX spring-loaded mine fields.

I go with VIS a dead cow or single vehicle,

Tally Ho!

I used thumbtacks with flat top side, the metal ones not those with plastique. I press them in the terrain piece
representing the minefield and then painted them with the approbiate colour. Looks like the topside of the mines were not dig in.

In the Western Desert minefields, dummy and real, were usually demarcated by cairns of stone, oil drums or petrol tins, or single Dannert wire, as well as the normal warning signs: "Achtung Minen!"

In Western Europe hedges or walls would often be used to demarcate fields so their was less need for man made indicators such as cairns, drums or wire.

In addition to the warning signs put there by the side planting the mines you had the signs planted by the opposition sweeping them: "Verges Not Swept" or "Verges Cleared" on roads were the common British and American usage. There must have been similar signs in German and Russian.

Cheers,
Bertie

Minefield signs are the easiest thing to do.

The next easiest thing to do is some generic 'fields' with a fence and some warning signs on.

Of course if you already have fields, you can just put warning signs on them…

In operational games I usually just make minefields up out of carboard so I can write the field densities on the back and draw cleared lanes on them.

I do mine like this:

I know that the Germans actually marked their fields with little yellow sign on a round hooked pole but this is more what most people expect.

I used a DYMO label maker for the text. Conveniently, the machine has a little skull and crossbones symbol.

I've read a number of accounts of Americans laying hasty fields of AT mines where they just tossed the mines out on top of the ground and hoped the Germans inside the tanks wouldn't see them.

Modern mine markers are red equilateral triangles ( point down) .
In former yugoslavia there were many mine indicators both covert and overt. Red painted sticks. Coke cans on sticks/ branches.
Uncultivated areas/ areas of longer grass, people used to mine their own garden to prevent occupation.
Etc.
they should be set out in a pattern of anti personnel anti armour in a lattice grid pattern.
A Google may provide the grid patterns

Always nice to find a tidbit in the link above…

(2) SPACING: The average observed spacing between mines in a row is 6 yards; never less than 3 yards and seldom greater than 10 yards. 5 yards and 10 yards are the most common distances. (Figure 3).

NB: Minimum distance for Tellermines: 5 paces: cover 8 to 10 cm. (0.32" – .39") 10 paces cover 5 cm. (0.2" )

More about German mines at El Alamein in link. Do you think this same doctrine was continued throughout the war?

In addition to the warning signs put there by the side planting the mines you had the signs planted by the opposition sweeping them: "Verges Not Swept" or "Verges Cleared" on roads were the common British and American usage.

I wonder how many Americans knew what "verges" meant?

I've read a number of accounts of Americans laying hasty fields of AT mines where they just tossed the mines out on top of the ground and hoped the Germans inside the tanks wouldn't see them.

During the Battle of the Bulge, American engineers would lay a daisy-chain of AT mines across a road then site a MG to cover them. If the German column didn't stop, they hit the mines; if they stopped and sent someone to move the mines, they got shot. Of course they put them in areas where it would be difficult or impossible to go around the mines. Either way, the column was delayed.

In areas like Bosnia during the relatively recent "unpleasantness" it was not unusual for mines to be scattered about clearly visible, especially around check points. A not so subtle warning they meant business!