Today in World War II History—March 29, 1941

Italian battleship Vittorio Veneto firing during Battle of Cape Matapan near Gavdos, Greece, 28 Mar 1941 (public domain, Ministero Della Difesa-Marina)
80 Years Ago—Mar. 29, 1941: Battle of Cape Matapan concludes: British ships sink Italian heavy cruisers Pola and Zara; in 2-day battle, 2303 Italians killed and 3 British; Italian navy rarely ventures from port after this.
British & South African troops take Dire Dawa in Ethiopia.
Vichy France establishes office for Jewish affairs (Commissariat Général aux Questions Juives) under antisemitic Xavier Vallat.