Werner Töniges

Infobox Military Person
name=Werner Töniges
born=birth date|1910|1|07|df=y
died=dda|1995|1|25|1910|1|17|df=y
placeofbirth=Oberhausen
placeofdeath=Essen


caption=
nickname=
allegiance=flagicon|Nazi Germany Nazi Germany
branch=navy|Nazi Germany
serviceyears=1935-1945
rank=Korvettenkapitän
commands=Schnellboot "S 24", "S 26" and "S 102"
unit=
battles=Spanish Civil War
World War II
awards=Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves
laterwork=

Werner Töniges (07 January 1910 – 25 January 1995) was a famous "Korvettenkapitän" with the Kriegsmarine during World War II. 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 tons of Allied shipping.

Military career

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-Mürwick 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
** 2nd Class (24 June 1940)
** 1st Class (6 July 1940)
* Spanish Cross in Bronze with Swords (6 June 1939)
* Fast Attack Craft War Badge
** Fast Attack Craft War Badge (28 January 1941)
** Fast Attack Craft War Badge with Diamonds (16 December 1942)
* Crimea Shield (16 December 1943)
* Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves
** Knight's Cross (25 February 1941)
** 143. Oak Leaves (13 November 1942)

References

* Fellgiebel, Walther-Peer. "Die Träger des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939-1945". Friedburg, Germany: Podzun-Pallas, 2000. ISBN 3-7909-0284-5.
* Kurowski, Franz. "Korvettenkapitän Werner Töniges Der erste Eichenlaubträger der Schnellbootwaffe". Flechsig Verlag, 2007. ISBN 978-3-88189-737-2.
* Range, Clemens (1974). "Die Ritterkreuzträger der Kriegsmarine". Stuttgart, Germany: Motorbuch Verlag. ISBN 3-87943-355-0.