What once served as the front line defenses and the eyes and ears of the Coast Artillery Corps are slowly fading into historical oblivion. During World War II, San Francisco was the second most heavily defended harbor in the United States. 

Remnants of many of these unique structures can be found at Lands End and the surrounding area. While many misconceptions abound about the purpose and scope of these unique structures built for the harbor defenses of San Francisco, a new book explains these sites in full historical detail. 

Author Matthew W. Kent puts the misconceptions to rest and sets the record straight in his new book, “Harbor Defenses of San Francisco: Lands End, Point Lobos, Sutro Heights” (104 pages hardbound and in full color, $75), a book exploring the smaller, lesser-known coast defense military reservations located on San Francisco’s west side. 

“Harbor Defenses of San Francisco” is a concise, full-color edition that covers all batteries, fire control observation/spotting stations, power houses and automatic weapon positions.

The book also contains complete historical information, including blueprints, period maps, up-to-date site maps made from satellite photographs, historic black and white photographs and full color photographs of every site. This book was designed for fortification enthusiasts to use in the field.