Coastal Fortifications of New Zealand - World War II Coastal Fortifications

World War II Coastal Fortifications

The second main wave of building coastal fortifications occurred during World War II. This was mainly a response to a perceived threat of invasion by the Japanese after the attack on Pearl Harbor. From 1942 until 1944, when the threat receded, forty-two coastal artillery fortifications or land batteries were either developed using historical fortifications or were built from scratch. The fortifications were built from British designs adapted to New Zealand conditions. Radar was installed which allowed long range shooting at nighttime and replaced the traditional fortress system of range finding.