The proposed invasion depended on concentrating troops and transports without exposing a protecting battle fleet. Flat-bottomed barges were supposed to carry 100,000 troops rapidly to England while avoiding the warning that a major warship deployment would give. The scheme is compared with earlier cross-Channel invasions by Caesar, Claudius, and William the Conqueror, since Britain had learned to recognize the recurring pattern of ships, barges, and concentrated troops. British intelligence and Rodney's raid on the preparations at Le Havre showed that the transports themselves were conspicuous targets. An army cannot cross the Channel safely once the defending navy recognizes the concentration of landing craft and troops.
Chapter · 18:42-27:15
France's 1759 invasion plan
France planned to send 100,000 troops across the Channel in flat-bottomed barges while trying to evade Royal Navy intervention.