Helion Talks - Point of Failure

In this episode of Helion Talks, host Tony Garcia speaks with historian and former civil servant Phil McCarty about his new book Point of Failure: British Brigadiers in France and Norway, 1940.

Drawing on decades of government service and years of academic research, McCarty examines the careers, decisions, and battlefield experiences of the brigadiers who led the British Army through one of its most challenging early-war crises.

The conversation explores how McCarty identified and analyzed every brigadier who served in the 1940 campaigns, revealing a complex picture of middle-management command at a moment of strategic collapse.

He discusses why “failure” is an unavoidable part of the story, how interwar career structures shaped wartime performance, and why First World War service was far less of a predictor of success than commonly assumed.

McCarty also shares insights on the evolution of brigade-level command, the lessons drawn (and ignored) from the 1940 defeats, and the officers whose leadership in chaos left lasting impressions. From forgotten figures like Archibald Bowman to later luminaries such as Montague Stopford, the episode illuminates the human dimension behind operational history.

Finally, McCarty offers a look at his forthcoming projects—including a regimental history, a study of the Western Desert on film, and a monograph on the 1979 Sino-Vietnamese War.

Helion Talks releases new episodes once a month, featuring authors and historians from around the world.

Links:

Point of Failure: British Brigadiers in France and Norway, 1940

Phil on LinkedIn

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Produced and hosted for Helion & Co by UGS — https://undergroundstrategy.com

Music: ‘Legionnaire’ by Scott Buckley — released under CC-BY 4.0. www.scottbuckley.com.au