We all know who Great Britain was at war with on May 13, 1940. If you don't, go do some review and come back.

We'll wait…

Right, so: Nazi Germany.

If you want to get technical, it was the Axis powers of Germany, Italy, and Japan, but Britain's main foe was always the Third Reich. But you might notice something: Churchill never mentions any of these by name.

He talks about the war, of course. He goes on for a while about the fact that "we are in the preliminary stage of one of the greatest battles in history" and "many preparations have to be made here at home" (17). He refers to Britain's enemies as "monstrous tyranny, never surpassed in the dark and lamentable catalogue of human crime" (24). But no country or specific ideology is ever mentioned.

There could be a few reasons for that. First, it would have been obvious. He does mention the events in Norway and Holland, in case you had any doubts, but it's not like Great Britain was at war with anyone else at this point. Plus, saying "you-know-who" doesn't sound very ministerial.

Maybe Churchill wanted to avoid stirring up too much emotion, or to hold their attention by not actually naming the names everyone in that room had been hearing day in and day out. Or maybe, he read Hermione Granger's Guide to Life* and didn't want to increase the enemy's power.

Regardless, it added to the drama of the speech.

_{*not a real book…yet.}