DEFENDING NEW ZEALAND:

RAMPARTS ON THE SEA 1840-1950'S

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Title: Defending New Zealand: ramparts on the sea 1840-1950s Author: Peter Cooke Pub: 2000 Publisher: Defence of New Zealand Study Group Desc.: 2 Volumes each 30cm with ill, maps, and plans

This book is of a size where it was made as two volumes (sold together).

In Defending New Zealand: ramparts on the sea 1840-1950s Peter Cooke covers the breadth and depth of New Zealand looking at it's defences during the period from 1840 up to the 1950's.

Defending New Zealand: ramparts on the sea 1840-1950s is full of photos, maps, plans, tables and diagrams and yet Peter Cooke still manages to fit in text that describes the history of the various sites. With this book covering everything from pillboxes and roadblocks through to port defences and even the 9.2" coastal batteries at Whangaparoa, Waiheke Island (in Auckland) and Karori (in Wellington) it is of a size where it has been published as two volumes which were sold together for $140.

Peter Cooke has created a reference work that helps to inform the modern reader as to the extent that defence construction has occurred in New Zealand. His book covers the period from the 1840's right through the Russian scares in the 1880's through both world wars and on up until the 1950's when Coastal Artillery was deemed obsolete. During this period the technology of the weapons, munitions and armour has changed considerably as well as the introduction of military aircraft, radar, rockets and the Nuclear Bomb.

Although it is a very good authoritative reference work where it does lack is that due to its size it is not able to look at any particular site in great depth. As a result there is still room for site-specific titles.

 
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© Darcy Waters 2002