Eighty years on. 29th February 1940.

1940, like 2020, was a leap year, so my narrative is not disrupted by the randomness of the calendar.

Historical

The Finns began a fighting retreat as the Red Army continued its offensive towards Viipuri.  The Soviets captured Teikari Island.

U-20 sank the Italian SS Maria Rosa in the English Channel.

The German ships Heidelberg and Troja sailed from Aruba in the Dutch Caribbean after dark to evade Allied naval vessels.  Troja was intercepted 10 miles out by the British cruiser HMS Despatch.  The crew set fire to the ship to prevent its capture.

Hitler issued a directive to all Nazi officials who were to meet the U.S. envoy Sumner Welles. The official line was that Britain and France had started the war to destroy Germany, so Germany had no choice but to continue fighting.

In France, a price freeze was put in place, along with rationing of food and petrol.  Germans (who have had food rationing since last year) were encouraged to plant vegetables rather than flowers in their gardens.

The British released nine German prisoners taken from the Asamu Maru to Japanese authorities.

In Uruguay the wreck of the Graf Spee was sold for scrap.

Game day 182. Japan

A submarine group was sent from Japan to the East China Sea to shadow the U.S. convoy, with orders not to attack.

In Kwangtung six armoured battalions, with the support of six fighter squadrons, attacked three Chinese infantry battalions.  The Chinese were wiped out, and the Japanese suffered losses of one squadron and one armoured battalion.