British victory Westphalia, Hesse and Lower Saxony Electoral Saxony Brandenburg Silesia East Prussia Pomerania Iberian Peninsula Naval Operations The Capture of Belle Île was a British amphibious expedition to capture the French island of Belle Île off the Brittany coast in 1761, during the Seven Years' War.

While the practical success of these was limited, they caused serious alarm throughout France and forced the French government to detach large numbers of troops to guard coastal areas against further British raids.

Pitt suspended the campaign in late 1758 following an unsuccessful landing at Saint Cast, while remaining open to the idea of further operations against the vulnerable French coast.

The Conquest of Canada in 1759-60 left Britain in control of a large area of formerly French territory, and Pitt anticipated that this would lead to a peace agreement, as many in Paris sought to bring an end to the costly war.

The island of Belle Île was located close to Lorient and the major naval centre of Brittany and offered command of the Bay of Biscay.

Pitt had originally proposed an attack on Belle Île in October 1760, but it was strongly opposed by the Duke of Newcastle and vetoed by King George II on the grounds that more focus should be given to the ongoing campaign in Germany.

Realising that they had lost any chance of surprise, and apparently faced with little alternative, Craufurd's troops abandoned the attempt and withdrew back to the ships.

The French court were infuriated by the fact that Pitt had pressed ahead with the operation in spite of the ongoing peace talks, which they regarded as an act of bad faith.

According to a pre-arranged signal, the French forces and inhabitants withdrew into the main fortification at Le Palais leaving the rest of the island to the invaders.

[12] A French attempt to ready a small fleet by activating seven ships of the line at Rochefort and eight at Brest was encountered by an even more vigorous blockade mounted by Keppel.

[15] John Craufurd departed Belle Isle on 17 March 1762 and was replaced by Brigadier Hamilton Lambart, holding the post of "Senior Officer".

The Deputy Governor was Lt Col. Thomas Oswald, Commandant of 103rd Regiment of Foot (Volunteer Hunters), who had taken part, alongside the Marines, in the capture of the island.

In accordance with the terms of the Treaty of Paris (1763), which was ratified on 10 March 1763, Forrester handed over to Richard Auguste de Warren, who had been appointed French commander, on 10 May 1763.

Ultimately after two years of occupation, the island was handed back to France in the wake of the Treaty of Paris (1763), exchanged directly for the return of Menorca to Britain.