Britain's stated objective was to capture and retain Spain's four principal ports in the Caribbean basin. Cartagena and Havana were critical nodes, yet Vernon's repeated concentration on Cartagena made British intentions predictable. Simultaneous descents by separate forces are proposed as a potentially more effective way to overwhelm the defenses. The proposed alternative remains a counterfactual without a guaranteed outcome. Its attraction lay in distributing the threat and preserving surprise.
Notable Point · 1:17:39-1:18:24
Britain's four-port Caribbean objective
Simultaneous attacks on the four principal Spanish Caribbean ports are proposed as an alternative to Vernon's predictable return to Cartagena.