In Berlin on Friday, May 9, Joseph Goebbels reacted to Winston Churchill’s recent House of Commons speech by calling it full of excuses and lacking information. Even so, Goebbels admitted that the speech showed no weakness and concluded that Britain’s determination to keep fighting remained intact, which meant Germany would have to continue wearing the country down.

As Goebbels reviewed the week in his diary, he revealed a grudging respect for Churchill, describing him as a dangerous mix of heroism and cunning. Goebbels believed Churchill had become a more serious obstacle than many Germans had assumed, even while insisting that Germany would overcome him. This private judgment underscored that Churchill’s leadership still mattered strategically and psychologically to the enemy.

Goebbels also recorded the wider military situation. He noted that the campaign against British shipping was succeeding, Rommel was doing well in North Africa, and the Soviet Union seemed unaware of Germany’s coming invasion. At the same time, recent RAF raids on Hamburg, Bremen, and other German cities had caused deaths and damage, leading Goebbels to expect a harsh Luftwaffe reprisal.

In London that same day, John Colville noted that Eric Duncannon and his parents lunched with Mary Churchill and the Churchill family at the Annexe. After lunch, Mary told Colville that she and Eric were engaged, and Colville was relieved that he only needed to offer congratulations rather than give an opinion of Eric.

That evening, Mary and Eric traveled to Leatherhead to visit General A. G. L. McNaughton’s headquarters, where Eric served on the Canadian commander’s staff. Mary was pleased that her friend Moyra, Eric’s sister, seemed happy about the match, which strengthened Mary’s confidence in the engagement. Meanwhile, with a full moon approaching and the danger of night bombing heightened, Churchill left for Ditchley for a weekend that would mark the close of his first year as prime minister.