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• The first British troops arrived at Suda Bay, Crete in Greece; meanwhile, a fleet of 4 battleships, 2 carriers, and 19 destroyers departed from the British naval base at Alexandria, Egypt for Crete. To the north, the Italian invasion advanced slowly. ww2dbase [Balkans Campaign | TH]
• Conscription, as allowed by the Selective Training and Service Act, began; it was the first military draft during peacetime in US history. ww2dbase [CPC]
• The full mobilization of the Italian Blackshirt units began. ww2dbase [CPC]
• German submarine U-31 sank the drifting wreck of British ship Matina, which was damaged by U-28 on 26 Oct and had already been abandoned, at 2200 hours. ww2dbase [CPC]
• German submarine U-29 made made rendezvous with German armed merchant cruiser Widder, which was returning from her merchant raiding mission for repairs, in the Bay of Biscay west of France. ww2dbase [Widder | CPC]
• Werner Mölders claimed his 54th victory. ww2dbase [Werner Mölders | CPC]

• Jaguar and Iltis began laying a minefield off Dover, England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [First Happy Time | Iltis | Jaguar | English Channel | CPC]

• The British RAF conducted the 25th raid on Berlin, Germany. ww2dbase [Bombing of Hamburg, Dresden, and Other Cities | Berlin | TH]

• Scirè launched three manned torpedoes into Gibraltar harbor. The mission was a failure as one of the torpedoes broke down and the crew of the two torpedoes aborted due to breathing equipment issues. ww2dbase [Scirè | CPC]

• German bombers conducted several raids in southern England, United Kingdom all day, escorted by Bf 109 fighters, damaging areas of London and Portsmouth. At dusk, German Ju 88 aircraft, acting as dive bombers, attacked airfields in East Anglia, Lincolnshire, and Yorkshire. Italian BR20M bombers bombed Ramsgate in formation. During the day, the Germans lost 22 Bf 109 fighters, 3 Bf 110 fighters, and 2 Do 17 bombers; the British lost 7 fighters with 2 pilots killed; the Italians lost 5 bombers. Overnight, London, Birmingham, and Coventry were bombed. ww2dbase [Battle of Britain | England | CPC]

29 Oct 1940 Interactive Map