Day 186 March 4, 1940

At midnight 30 miles North of Land’s End England, French steamer S.N.A.1 sinks after colliding with British SS Thurston, which rescues her crew of 30. However, U-29 sinks Thurston (cargo 4500 tons of manganese) at 5.23 AM (64 lives lost). 3 of Thurston’s crew are rescued by British SS Moyle. Only 1 French sailor survives both sinkings, rescued by a trawler after 11 hours on an overturned lifeboat. http://www.uboat.net/allies/merchants/ships/283.html

U-29 also sinks British MV Pacific Reliance (carrying aircraft parts from USA) at 12.39 PM. All 53 crew are picked up by British merchant Macville and landed at Newlyn, Cornwall. http://www.uboat.net/allies/merchants/ships/284.html

Finland. There is continued fighting around Viipuri, particularly on the Vuoksi River near Äyräpää church. At noon Soviet troops and tanks reinforce the beachhead on the western shore of Viipuri Bay but Finnish artillery and planes take a heavy toll of Red Army soldiers advancing on the ice.