Choiseul’s 1759 invasion problem

Choiseul proposed carrying one hundred thousand troops across the Channel in flat-bottomed craft without warship protection. He feared that trying to bring escorts out of blockaded ports would cause delays and repeat earlier failed invasion attempts. The transports were to exploit a favorable wind and cross before British naval power could intervene. Diplomacy and efforts to recruit Jacobite support gave Britain warning, while British raids attacked French preparations at Le Havre. By mid-summer, France had spent thirty million livres and had 325 transports nearing completion, but only forty-eight thousand troops assigned. The reduced force would face roughly ten thousand British regulars and twenty thousand militia after a potentially costly crossing. Once the plan required warship protection, Hawke's continuous watch on Brest became a direct obstacle.