Could World War II Mines Still Be Active Today?

Despite being a slightly anonymous armament, mines are deadly and effective weapons. During World War II, millions of mines were used in all theaters. Since 1945, removal efforts have cut those numbers significantly. However, there are some that still remain active and dangerous to this day, in locations including Japan and Egypt.

Both the Axis and Allies used mines effectively in different roles. On land, well-placed vast minefields slowed or deterred the enemy. Crossing or clearing a minefield was a laborious, time-consuming process. When employed as a naval weapon, mines were air-dropped, chained, or sown by submarines by the thousands to block crucial harbors and waterways. 

Minefields sometimes covered vast spaces making large areas more defensible with fewer troops. In some battles, the minefields were strung for miles. For the 1942 El Alamein Battle, the minefields ran from the Mediterranean beaches to the Qattara Depression, some thirty-give miles inland. The mine belts were left behind as the fighting went west, forgotten as attentions shifted.

Why Are World War II Mines Dangerous?

Where Are Active Mines Being Cleared?

With such lurking dangers in their waters or grounds, several countries are working hard to clear mines. Countries like Japan, Egypt, and around the Baltic Sea are making continual efforts. Other mines are found during construction, and stray naval mines wash ashore. Disarming mines is a laborious, slow process usually done by experts. 

Germans, Russians, and Allied aircraft mined the Baltic Sea in World War II. Whether dropped or chained to the sea bottom, these mines were forgotten. Countries like Lithuania and Estonia continue to clear them out. NATO ships participate too, using these efforts as training.

NATO’s annual Open Spirit operations started in 1995 to remove some of the estimated 80,000 mines in the Baltic. The 2021 operation took out 130 mines from that total. Sadly, mines are cheap to make but expensive to get rid of. The mine components also represent an ecological hazard. As they deteriorate, the cheaply made mines release toxic materials into the environment.

Between September 13, 1940, and November 4, 1942, seesaw battles occurred between the Axis and the British in western Egypt. Both sides used mines in thick strips crisscrossing the desert. It’s estimated that 20 million mines lie under the sand. Even ISIS digs up these mines for their explosives! 22% of Egypt (primarily the Western Desert) is a minefield. Since 1945, those mines have claimed a reported 8,000 lives. 

The Egyptian government and the United Nations joined in demining the affected areas. Egypt started demining in 1948. The Egyptian Army’s constant efforts are making an impact. Thirty-eight square kilometers are “mine-free,” with an estimated 248 square kilometers remaining. Immense tracts still remain mined, however.

How Do World War II Mines Affect Japan?

The American bombing campaign against Japan in 1944-45 included parachuted naval mines. Submarines planted thousands more. By the war’s end, some 25,000 floated in Japanese waters. Demining efforts started immediately with some American help. 

The Japanese Self-Defense Force made continuous sweeps for mines, removing all but 2000. These significant efforts went on for twenty years and still continue, but not as often. There are no exact numbers, but they did happen. In 1965, a leftover mine injured eight Japanese dredging near a harbor. In October 2023, Japanese Navy divers detonated a naval mine in the Shimonoseki Straights between the main islands of Kyushu and Honshu.

What Other Locations Have World War II Mine Problems?

Adding to the list, Russia requires ongoing mine clearance. Southern Russia, especially around Stalingrad (now Volgograd) and the Caucasus Mountains, were major World War II battlefields. The brutal fighting left minefields unaccounted for. Like Japan, the Soviet Union started demining quickly and cleaned out the major finds in three great sweeps by the 1970s.

Russia publishes its efforts to international organizations. A 2021 report showed that over 1,600 army personnel work in heavily mined areas. Active World War II minefields have decreased but still kill people. For example, between 1992 and 1998, Russia reported thirty-nine people who had died from mines. In 1999, thirteen civilians died, including a child. Smaller budgets and the ongoing Ukraine/Russia fighting have cut efforts and reporting, leaving many still in existence today.