Coastal Artillery fire control system (US) .. A good stuff .. http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coast_Artillery_fire_control_system Another good stuff on the Coastal (Finnish) Artillery weaponry .. http://www.jaegerplatoon.net/COASTAL_ARTILLERY1.htm
Coastal Artillery Journals: https://www.scribd.com/search-documents?escape=false&page=1&query=coastal artillery+ FMs: http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USA/ref/FM/index.html
British R A (COAST) Regiments ~ '39 - '45 http://www.ra39-45.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/coastidx/index.html
Just not so long ago when I was reading details on D-day landing, I saw photos of German bunkers with Panzer IV turret mounted on the top while there were machine guns below it. It is also an effective coastal defense structure. Basically a fixed tank position while being cheaper than a full Panzer IV.
One of the 15" coastal defence guns at Singapore. They did their job too well and the Japanese never considered an assault against them
Axis bunkers that used against the Landings, manywhere hastily assembled. You know that They had been running enormously shortage of materials, equipments etc. And I believe that they brought all the panzer IV guns from their bogged down machines from different fronts. However, they did a good deed to cope with the enormous offensive! Another interesting thing that apart from the fortifications was using of onboard naval guns. You may recall during the siege of Laningrad, the Baltic Fleet called in and been used their onboard guns from the river. The Axis force faced an unexpected huge offensive from the Russian Navy, since Leningrad isn't a coastal city! And the case of the IJN Yamoto with its mighty guns, during the last phase of Op Ten Go? For the Okinawa attack plan, the ship deported with one way fuel in its tank since the Japanese were determind to 'sacrifice' Yamoto using her as an unsinkable gun emplacement and continue to fight untill destroyed. During the Great War as well as in WW2, the Coastal Defence System played a very important role in the military histoy. If we go to compare those (enormous) systems with today's perspective, a difference could be found of 360 degree!
Singapore gun batteries : coastal defence artillery units - http://www.fortsiloso.com/batteries/list.htm
Ofcourse they did their job nicely but the reasult could have been more effective had they used with HEs instead of APs!
One example is Fort Stevens in Oregon. It was briefly bombarded by the Japanese submarine I-25. Here is one of the guns: There is a documentary here:
Capt Jack Woods maintained his gun silence throughout the unharmed bombardment from the deck gun of I 25, and it was a perfect decision for the old C W time fort. Apart from this, the main guns were too old to retaliate.
