This technical manual covers the weapons and the basic principles employed in the operation of seacoast artillery used during the WW II period.It is profusely illustrated with photographs and illustrations of the weapons and their supporting systems. An excellent resource book for those interested in the WW II-era seacoast artillery weapons: the 16-inch, 12-inch, 8-inch, and 6-inch long range barbette mounts, the M1900 6-inch, the M1902 and M1903 3-inch, the 90 mm anti-motor torpedo boat weapons, and the 155 mm tractor-drawn guns.

This is a detailed survey, replete with photographs and diagrams, of the field artillery used by both sides in the Civil War. In paperback for the first time, the book provides technical descriptions of the artillery (bore, weight, range, etc.), ordnance purchases, and inspection reports. Appendixes provide information on surviving artillery pieces and their current locations in museums and national parks.

The only work available on the history of U.S. coastal defenses, including their armament and architecture. It will appeal to fort visitors and naval history buffs as well as to those interested in artillery and military architecture.

At the beginning of the 20th century, the military importance of the Hawaiian Islands became clear. Oahu in particular was a key bastion in projecting America's military power in the Pacific. The island was turned into a military fortress and yet it also became the site of one of America's greatest defensive failures, the Japanese attack of December 7, 1941. By the end of World War II, the harbor itself was the most heavily defended in the world, and the island had earned the sobriquet "Fortress Oahu". This title documents the development of the coastal, air and land defense systems that served to protect Pearl Harbor and Honolulu from 1907 to 1950, and seeks to understand why these failed at a critical point.