| Werner Töniges | |
|---|---|
| File:Toniges.jpg | |
| Born | 7 January 1910 |
| Died | 25 January 1995 (aged 85) |
| Place of birth | Oberhausen |
| Place of death | Essen |
| Allegiance |
 Nazi Germany |
| Service/branch |
 Kriegsmarine |
| Years of service | 1935–1945 |
| Rank | Korvettenkapitän |
| Unit |
SMS Schleswig-Holstein pocket battleship Admiral Graf Spee |
| Commands held | Schnellboot "S 24", "S 26" and "S 102" |
| Battles/wars |
Spanish Civil War World War II |
| Awards | Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves |
Werner Töniges (7 January 1910 – 25 January 1995) was a Korvettenkapitän with the Kriegsmarine during World War II. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves. The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross and its higher grade Oak Leaves was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership. He sailed with the Schnellboot "S 24", "S 26" and "S 102", sinking eighteen ships on 281 combat patrols, for a total of 86,200 gross register tons (GRT) of Allied shipping.
Military career[]
Werner Töniges (4th from left)
Werner Töniges transferred from the Handelsmarine to the Kriegsmarine in 1935. In 1937 he was promoted to Leutnant zur See. On board of the German pocket battleship "Admiral Graf Spee" he participated in Spanish Civil War. He then transferred to the Schnellboot service. He commanded the Schnellboote "S 24", "S 26" and "S 102". Töniges was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross after 88 combat patrols on 25 February 1941. He soon also received the Oak Leaves to the Knight's Cross on 13 November 1942, the first in the Schnellboot service. At this point Töniges had sunk 18 war and merchant ships plus two U-boat hunters. He was transferred to the Marineschule at Flensburg-Mürwik as company commander at the end of September 1942. Here he received the Fast Attack Craft War Badge with Diamonds. As of September 1943 he served as a training officer in the Oberkommando der Kriegsmarine, where he was promoted to Korvettenkapitän on 1 January 1945.
Awards[]
- Iron Cross (1939)
- Spanish Cross in Bronze with Swords (6 June 1939)[1]
- Sudetenland Medal (20 December 1939)[1]
- Finnish Order of the Cross of Liberty 4th Class (4 November 1941)[1]
- Fast Attack Craft War Badge
- Crimea Shield (16 August 1943)[1]
- Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves
- Knight's Cross on 25 February 1941 as Oberleutnant zur See and commander of Schnellboot S-102 in the 1. Schnellbootflottille[2]
- 143rd Oak Leaves on 13 November 1942 as Kapitänleutnant and commander of Schnellboot S-102 in the 1. Schnellbootflottille[2]
References[]
- Citations
- Bibliography
- Manfred Dörr; Franz Thomas (1996). Die Ritterkreuzträger der Deutschen Wehrmacht: Die Ritterkreuzträger der Überwasserstreitkräfte der Kriegsmarine / Manfred Dörr. A - K. ISBN 978-3-7648-2497-6.
- Walther P. Fellgiebel (1986-12). Die Träger des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes, 1939-1945: die Inhaber der höchsten Auszeichnung des Zweiten Weltkrieges aller Wehrmachtteile. ISBN 978-3-7909-0284-6.
- Franz Kurowski (2007-12). Korvettenkapitän Werner Töniges: Der erste Eichenlaubträger der Schnellbootwaffe. ISBN 978-3-88189-737-2.
- Clemens Range (1974). Die Ritterkreuzträger der Kriegsmarine. ISBN 3-87943-355-0.
- Veit Scherzer (2007). Die Ritterkreuzträger: die Inhaber des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939-1945. Hauptband. ISBN 978-3-938845-17-2.
External links[]
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