Nicholas Tracy

Hawke and the Defeat of the French Invasion
This history chronicles the Royal Navy’s victory over the French during the Seven Years’ War. In the mid-18th century, with no regular troops at home, Britain was especially vulnerable to the immanent threat of French invasion. Illustrated with maps.
When the British fleet under Admiral Hawke fell upon them, the French ships of the line under Admiral Conflans were actually on their way to rendezvous with the invasion troopships gathered at the mouth of the Loire. The battle was fought in bad weather, the French attempting to exploit their local knowledge by heading for Quiberon Bay, assuming the British would not follow them among its treacherous shoals in such conditions. Hawke, however, pursued them under full sail and many French ships were destroyed, captured, run aground or scattered for the loss of only two British ships which ran aground. The invasion was thwarted. Professor Nicholas Tracy studies the battle and its strategic consequences, particularly upon the war for North America. (Adapted from Casemate Publisher)… (meer)

This is a consolidated edition, organized chronologically by Nicholas Tracy. The material is engrossing to anyone who is either a professional, or the kind of fiction fan who loves to see the source. There are a good number of period illustrations, and the major operations in a given year also have strict chronology violated in order to present a coherent picture. One flaw is that the index is saved up until Volume V for all the previous volumes, but since less naval activity occurred after 1810, compared to the earlier times, so the size of the volumes could appear more uniform. The overall effect is improved by the provision of period maps as well. The Chronicle was in publication from 1799 to 1819.… (meer)