Podcast Summary: "The Best British General Of WW2"

WW2 Pod: We Have Ways of Making You Talk

Host: Al Murray & James Holland
Release Date: August 25, 2025

Episode Overview

This episode launches a new "Best in the West General" series, where Al Murray and James Holland lively debate and analyze who deserves the arguably contentious crown of “Best British General” in WWII. Focusing on British and Commonwealth commanders (referred to as "Duke" in the discussion), the hosts dissect military careers, achievements, and the legacies of seven prominent figures, providing historical insight, context, and plenty of humor. Listener engagement is encouraged, with votes welcomed to help narrow down the field for an upcoming festival showdown.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Setting the Scope & Rules (01:59–04:42)

• Focus: Only British and Commonwealth (Dominions, UK, Empire) generals are debated in this episode.
• Exclusions: American, German, Italian, French, and Eastern Front generals will be discussed in other episodes.
• Criteria: The discussion is based on careers active in North West Europe, North Africa, and the Mediterranean—excluding the Pacific and Far East.
• Impartiality is Claimed: “Obviously we’re completely impartial and that’s the most important thing.”
  — Al Murray (04:07)

2. Overview of Candidates (05:03–05:36)

• 14 British/Empire generals will be explored across two episodes. The first seven are reviewed today.
• Approach is alphabetical, but “the dice are slightly loaded,” as Holland jokes.

Generals Discussed

a. General Sir Ronald Forbes Adam (05:18–08:54)

• Background: Technical/artillery roots, Eton and Woolwich educated, Army career spanning staff and command roles from before WWI through WWII.
• Key Contribution: Modernization of the British Army, democratized officer selection, spearheaded the introduction of the General Service Corps and psychological-based selection boards, and ran the Army Bureau of Current Affairs (ABCA) to boost training and morale.
• Dunkirk Perimeter: Instrumental in organizing the Dunkirk evacuation by setting up the defensive perimeter as 3 Corps Commander.
• Notable Quote:
  “He becomes adjutant general in 1941 and his contribution really to the British war effort is the sort of modernisation and adaptation of the army into a modern citizen soldier army under the pressure of the war as it moves forward.”
  — Al Murray (06:05)
• Memorable Fact: Some considered him “progressive and flip floppy,” but this was necessity, not ideology.

b. Field Marshal Sir Harold Alexander (08:58–14:28)

• Background: Elite Guards officer, extraordinary linguist (speaks seven languages), led troops at every rank, known for deep honor and lack of personal ambition.
• Combat Record: Led evacuations at Dunkirk (the last man off the beaches), successful in Burma theater, GOC 1st Army, CINCMED (Commander-in-Chief Middle East), Army Group commander in Tunisia, Sicily and Italy.
• Leadership Style: A famed coalition commander—highly popular, especially adept at managing multinational forces (up to 24 nationalities under his command).
• Resilience: Known for leading from the front; wounded three times in WWI, famously walked 64 miles to prove his fitness.
• Notable Quotes:
  “He is the consummate coalition commander. You know, he’s tactful, he’s unflappable.”
  — James Holland (13:48)
  “He’s just a great man… a man sort of without personal ambition. He’s got a profound sense of honor.”
  — James Holland (09:18)
• Controversy: Diaries of contemporaries (e.g., Brooke) have been cherry-picked to unfairly paint him as lacking strategic insight, a point resoundingly contested by Holland.

c. General Sir Claude ‘The Orc’ Auchinleck (14:28–18:42)

• Background: Indian army background, linguist, experienced in tribal counterinsurgency, noted for rapport with Indian troops.
• Command Roles: Led in Norway, became Commander-in-Chief Middle East after Wavell; also served in India.
• Mixed Results: Authorized the questionable Gazala Line strategy and errant high-level appointments (e.g., putting Ritchie in charge of Eighth Army).
• Battle of Alamein: Conducted a dogged defensive, not the victorious counterattack later achieved by Montgomery. Dismissed before El Alamein victory.
• Post-Alamein: Supported Slim and Mountbatten in India.
• Hosts’ Consensus: While distinguished, not a contender for “best in the West” due to strategic missteps.
• Memorable Quote:
  “Is he… the best in the West? I don’t think. Not a chance.”
  — James Holland (18:20)

d. General Sir Alan Brooke (Later Lord Alanbrooke) (18:54–23:57)

• Background: Anglo-Irish aristocrat, grew up bilingual in France, artillery staff roots.
• Key Wartime Role: Chief of the Imperial General Staff (CIGS) from 1941, arguably the architect of British military strategy (“steel, not flesh” doctrine).
• Influence: Oversaw high-level strategic decisions, rigorous training, and was pivotal in shaping Britain's combined arms and operational effectiveness.
• Staff Skills: Taught at staff colleges and the French Ecole de Guerre, lauded for his combined-arms expertise.
• Brooke vs. Field Command: Hosts question how to compare a supreme strategist/administrator to an operational commander.
• Notable Quote:
  “He is a guy who is basically drawing up how we beat the Axis forces. You know, the steel, not flesh. It’s basically coming from him at the very top.” — James Holland (21:09)
• Memorable Moment:
  Wide-ranging discussion on whether administrative brilliance (Brooke/Eisenhower/Marshall) should be weighed equally to battlefield command.

e. General Sir Miles ‘Bimbo’ Dempsey (26:20–31:49)

• Background: Younger than previous candidates, staff college-educated, pillar of calm, known for his coolness and humor.
• WWII Role: Rose quickly; plucked from battalion command to lead 13 Corps, then led British Second Army from D-Day through to Germany’s surrender.
• Operational Skills: Expert in meticulous planning and combined arms warfare; highly rated and trusted by Montgomery.
• Success in Northwest Europe: Seamlessly commanded Second Army during the Normandy campaign, without excess caution but always with focus on minimizing casualties.
• Notable Quotes:
  “He’s meticulous… his very kind of affable impression kind of belies a backbone of steel, really.”
  — James Holland (31:41)
  “If you really want to look at how Monty does war, look at how Dempsey does war. It’s him doing it.”
  — Al Murray, quoting Peter Caddick-Adams (30:32)

f. General Sir Richard Nelson ‘Windy’ Gale (31:55–35:46)

• Background: Anglo-Australian, not from the upper class, early adopter of innovation, expertise in machine guns and airborne forces.
• Airborne Warfare Pioneer: Architect of British airborne doctrine, picked leaders such as John Frost; drove selection, training, and battlefield use for airborne operations.
• D-Day Achievement: Commanded and pulled off the successful Normandy airborne landings (Operation Tonga), established proof of airborne concept.
• Leadership Qualities: Known for confidence—“I am the best in the bloody business and you ought to know it.”
• Evolutionary Symbol: Spanned modern warfare development, from Machine Gun Corps in WWI to airborne operations in WWII.
• Memorable Quote:
  “He’s a natural leader, isn’t he? I mean, he’s a terrific fellow. Absolutely terrific.”
  — James Holland (35:46)

g. General Sir Percy Cleghorn Stanley ‘Hobo’ Hobart (36:09–41:06)

• Background: Engineer, intellectual, early tank pioneer, eccentric and often controversial.
• Armoured Warfare Innovator: Created the 7th Armoured Division (Desert Rats), designed “Hobart’s Funnies” (specialist armored vehicles crucial for D-Day), and wrote enduring armored doctrine (infantry/cavalry tank duality).
• Career Setbacks: Temporarily side-lined due to doctrinal disputes and a scandalous personal life; Churchill and Brooke later reinstated him.
• Vision & Leadership: Raised and organized both 7th and 11th Armoured Divisions, founded and commanded 79th Armoured Division (at war’s end, the world’s largest tank force). Known for his persuasive ability and out-of-the-box thinking.
• Notable Quotes:
  “He’s a visionary—a brilliant man… creative, thinking outside the box. I mean, you need these people.”
  — James Holland (40:34) “He’s considered 20 years ahead of his time, isn’t he?”
  — James Holland (41:01)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On debates about generals:

  “This is one of those topics that is—contentious is the wrong word…”
  — Al Murray (03:42)

• On coalition command:

  “He is the consummate coalition commander. You know, he’s tactful, he’s unflappable.” — James Holland (13:48)

• On innovators:

  “Proof of concept of airborne operations, from raising battalions through to raising a division through to winning a battle.”
  — Al Murray on Gale (35:40)

• On Hobart:

  “He has invented armored doctrine anyway, and then reinvents it all over again.”
  — Al Murray (39:52)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• [01:59] – Series Introduction & Scope Explanation
• [05:18] – [08:54]: General Sir Ronald Adam's Career & Impact
• [08:58] – [14:28]: Field Marshal Sir Harold Alexander’s Biography and Campaigns
• [14:28] – [18:42]: Sir Claude Auchinleck's Mixed Legacy and Dismissal
• [18:54] – [23:57]: Alan Brooke, CIGS and Strategic Brain of the British Army
• [26:20] – [31:49]: Miles Dempsey – Second Army and Normandy Success
• [31:55] – [35:46]: Windy Gale – British Airborne Warfare Pioneer
• [36:09] – [41:06]: Percy Hobart – Visionary Behind Armored Innovation

Tone & Style

The episode is true to the “We Have Ways” formula: informed, authoritative, but irreverent and witty. Al Murray’s comedic asides and anecdotes mingle with James Holland’s deep historical expertise, making complex military topics accessible and engaging.

Listener Involvement

• Call to Action: Listeners are encouraged to join the “We Have Ways” Patreon and vote for their pick, with votes influencing future episode debates.

Next Up

Part two will continue the British/Commonwealth generals, before the series moves on to Americans and Axis commanders.

This summary captures the key arguments, personalities, memorable lines, and historical insights from the first entry in the "Best in the West General" series, preserving the episode’s original language and tone for a richly detailed, accessible recap.