Danish command misreads Britain's objective

Denmark's command appointments and planning did not match the opponent or the political problem. Against Nelson, the victor of the Nile, much of the Danish fleet was converted into stationary batteries without a clear plan for the remaining mobile ships. Steen Bille's precise influence on this arrangement is left uncertain, despite his later role in Denmark's gunboat strategy during the English Wars. Britain's limited objective was to clear a route for bomb vessels, threaten Copenhagen, and compel Denmark-Norway to leave the League. Preserving an untouched northern force while the southern defence bore the decisive attack failed to contest that operation.