January 28th, 1940 (SUNDAY)
UNITED KINGDOM: Destroyer HMS Lively launched.
FINLAND: The Finnish army drives a wedge into the Soviet 54th Division at Kuhmo.U.S.S.R.: Soviet submarine M-120 laid down.
GIBRALTAR: The U.S. freighter SS Sarcoxic is detained temporarily at Gibraltar for several hours by British authorities; the freighter SS Waban, bound for Italy and Greece, is also held there briefly but is allowed to proceed after one item of cargo is seized as contraband and 34 detained for investigation.
ATLANTIC OCEAN: SS Eston, a straggler from Convoy FN-81, struck a mine laid by U-22 on 20 Dec 1939 and sunk near Blyth. The master and 17 crewmembers were lost.
At 0421, the unescorted SS Eleni Stathatou was torpedoed and sunk by U-34 about 200 miles west of the Scilly Isles.
SS Flora was last seen in The Downs and was reported missing thereafter. At 2000, U-44 reported the sinking of a steamer west of Figuera la Foz. This must have been the Flora.