Mission «Naval minesweeping»

What is this mission?

You assign your planes a sea region. They start hunting enemy mines there and neutralizing them at a distance. In HoI4 the mission is called “Naval minesweeping”. But you can also mine a region yourself with mines — that's done with the “Naval minelaying” mission.

Usually in HoI4 naval mines are cleared by minesweeper ships. But a sweeper is slow and risks blowing up itself. A plane finds mines from above and detonates them with no risk to the fleet.

Note: only enemy mines. This mission doesn't touch your own minefields.

Why do you need it?

First reason — take your fleet through mined waters. Landings, convoys, warships: all suffer from mines. A clean region means calm passage.

Second reason — remove penalties. Minefields cut fleet efficiency in the region. Mines gone — fighting power back.

Third reason — speed. Air sweeping is faster than ship sweeping: the speed factor is 0.025 for aviation against 0.009 for ships. Planes clear almost 3 times faster than sweepers. But what is the real truth about this mission?

The real truth about the mission

Honestly: most often this button is useless. The reason is simple — you rarely meet enemy mines in game. No mines — planes fly in vain and burn fuel.

The mission is good in one case: mines truly exist and get in the way. The enemy mined a strait your landing must cross — then winged sweepers pay off. In all other cases players usually don't assign the mission, because in HoI4 it's often better to give military factories to something more useful than planes that would sweep an empty region.

What happens when you switch it on?

Open the air map — the plane icon at the bottom right or the F3 key. Select a wing of planes carrying the “sweeper coil” module, in the orders menu press “Naval minesweeping”, then right-click the sea region.

After that planes start sorties one after another and neutralize mines. Sweeping speed depends on plane count: the bigger the wing, the faster the cleanup. When the counter reaches zero — the region is clean, the mission can come off.

No hidden resources required: fuel (burn as usual — 1.0) and the planes themselves with the right module. No extra experience, command power, political power or other resources are taken from you.

How effective is it?

Very effective, if mines exist. A field that sank convoys and tore landings disappears in a matter of weeks. The fleet sails calmly again, and landings go without surprises.

But zero effect if there are no mines. Planes will diligently “sweep” empty water and burn fuel — a bad idea in HoI4. So before switching on, open the region and check the mine counter: a number — work; zero — don't touch.

When to switch this mission on?

When enemy mines stand in a region you need. Your fleet takes losses, landings risk blowing up, convoys sink. That's when.

Before switching on, check three things:

• The region truly holds enemy mines;
• You have sweeping gear — a wing with the “sweeper coil” module;
• Planes reach it with normal coverage;
• You hold air superiority.

Who should switch it on?

• • In what situation.

    Any country whose fleet ran into minefields. Preparing a landing through a mined strait, running convoys through infected waters — clear the road in advance. With no mines, you don't need the button.

    The mission is especially useful for those attacking from the sea: landings cost more than ships, and losing them to mines stings.

  • How to get access?

    In two steps.

    • First — the “Aerial Minesweeping” research in the naval support branch, at the very bottom. The research opens around 1942-1943, which is quite late — keep that in mind.
    • Second — the “sweeper coil” module on the plane in the designer. Without this module there is no access to the mission. The module costs 3 hammers and weighs a full 20 tons, which is quite a lot.

    Note: research and module cost time and factories. So unlock access only when mines already get in the way, not in advance. Usually top players start researching the module 1-2.5 years before the war if they know the enemy will surely mine the sea.

Which region to assign?

The air region above the sea region holding enemy mines, where your fleet must pass: a strait before a landing, a convoy route.

Check coverage and range. At 50% coverage the mission works at half strength while fuel burns anyway. No need to clean clean regions. So how do you run the mission right?

Sweep the region before the fleet passes

The scheme is simple: first planes clean the water, then the fleet goes. Preparing a landing through a strait — hang the wing on the region a couple of weeks before disembarking. By landing time the mine counter should near zero.

Not the reverse: a fleet entering mined waters before the sweepers pays in hulls and strength. Patience is cheaper than repairs here.

I recommend this order always. If you are new and don't know where to start — start by checking the mine counter in the strait you plan to sail.

Hold the mission to a clean counter

Sweeping goes gradually: each sortie removes a little. Pull the wing off halfway — and leave a half-done field that still bites.

Hold the mission until the counter shows zero. Fuel burn stays ordinary — 1.0 per plane, no command power needed. A clean region then holds on its own until the enemy lays new mines. But what mistakes do players often make, and what nuances are there?

• Nuances worth knowing

  • Speed depends on plane count.

    Each sortie neutralizes mines, so a big wing cleans the region faster. Air sweeping is plain faster than ship sweeping: the speed factor is 0.025 for aviation against 0.009 for ships.

  • Normal fuel, no resource needed.

    Burn — 1.0 per plane like most missions. And command power the mission needs none at all — free here.

  • Only enemy mines get cleaned.

    Planes don't touch your own minefields. So you can calmly mine one strait while sweeping the neighboring one.

  • The enemy lays new ones.

    A clean counter isn't forever. The enemy may mine the region again, so check the counter before every operation.

• Typical beginner mistakes

  • Sweeping clean sea.

    The most common mistake. The mine counter is zero, yet the wing hangs and burns fuel. First look at the counter, then switch on.

  • Unlocking access in advance.

    “Aerial Minesweeping” research plus module — an expensive pleasure in reserve. With no mines yet, give factories to whatever fights now.

  • Leading the fleet before sweeping.

    A landing entering the field before cleanup takes losses for nothing. First zero on the counter — then loading.

  • Forgetting air superiority.

    If the sky is red, your planes take heavy losses and efficiency drops hard. First give your fighters the “Air Superiority” mission over the region, then sweep.

• Tips from top players

  • Clean straits.

    The Channel, Gibraltar, the Danish straits — the fleet must go narrow. Exactly there a clean bottom matters most.

  • Cover from the sky.

    Planes with trawls are defenseless against fighters. Keep your fighters with the “Air Superiority” mission in the region.

  • Check the counter before the operation.

    Before every landing and convoy run, look at the mine counter again. The enemy may have laid new ones while you prepared.