German mine-warfare strength in the First World War contrasts with British expertise in the Second. Britain had suffered enough from mines in the earlier conflict to make them a serious interwar development priority. By 1939 the Royal Navy could use effective mines aggressively, including early mining of German rivers, while continuing to benefit from work on torpedoes and related systems. These weapons lacked the glamour of capital ships but could shape campaigns because the learning and production effort had begun before the emergency.
Notable Point · 2:14:19-2:15:32
How mine warfare became a British Second World War strength
British experience of mines in the First World War fed an unusually strong interwar investment in mines and torpedoes.