De Witt tends to believe the repeated diplomatic assurances by the French and English that they have no invasion in mind, but many Dutch politicians and military men interpret the French diplomatic activities in the German principalities, the preparing of the English Navy and the raising of large armies as sure signs of an imminent war.
William III, despite his youth, is on February 25, 1672, appointed Captain-General of the confederate Dutch army.
Factional strife and uncertainty about the French strategy prevent a strong field army from being created; most of the eighty-three thousand troops (seventy thousand seven hundred infantry and twelve thousand seven hundred and ten cavalry in June 1672) are assigned to the fortresses.
Whereas the Dutch Republic is thus ill-prepared for a land campaign, the situation at sea is much more favorable, even though the States-General decides to limit the naval budget to four million seven hundred and seventy-six thousand two hundred and forty-eight guilders (down from an original projected budget of seven million eight hundred and ninety-three thousand nine hundred and ninety-two guilders) in order not to provoke the English.
The Dutch navy, after having destroyed the core of the English navy at Chatham in 1667, had been the strongest in the world.
This has again changed in 1672, with the English having replaced the capital ships lost, while few Dutch ships have been built
One of the five autonomous Dutch admiralties, that of Friesland, is unable to contribute many ships because that province is being attacked by Münster.
The Dutch, however, will successfully prevent a blockade of their coast and any landing of enemy troops, despite being outnumbered by a third by the combined Anglo–French fleet.
The reason for this success are the much improved training standards.
The Dutch navy in the major battles of 1666 still had to get used to its brand-new, much heavier, warships and some costly tactical mistakes had been made; also personal conflict between Lieutenant-Admirals Michiel de Ruyter and Cornelis Tromp had damaged the unity of the fleet.
De Ruyter had used the summer of 1671 to execute many training maneuvers employing the line-of-battle, perfecting the fire drill and installing a new sense of coherence and discipline.
As a result, the Republic is in 1672 at the apex of its naval power; in the English navy however, Admiral Edward Spragge had grown jealous of supreme commander Prince Rupert of the Rhine.
Also, Spragge had broken formation in two battles to seek out his personal enemy Tromp, having vowed to kill him for having insulted his wife.
Cooperation between the English and the French navies is poor, plagued by misunderstandings and suspicions.
