Napoleon's famous desire for six hours of Channel control is tested against the physical work of moving an enormous invasion army. Britain had spent years strengthening artillery forts and preparing for repeated invasion scares. Boats would have landed formations in separate groups, forcing them to assemble while facing local militia, regular units, coastal defenses, and renewed Royal Navy interference. Sea control was necessary for invasion, but it could not by itself erase the logistical and tactical friction of an amphibious landing.
Notable Point · 20:11-21:32
Coastal defense and the friction of invasion
Even a temporary opening in the Channel would not have transported and concentrated 200,000 troops before British fortifications, militia, regulars, and naval forces reacted.