Werner Töniges

On 5 July Töniges commanded "S-19" on a patrol in the Portland and Isle of Wight area. He claimed a 3,000-ton ship sunk 30 nautical miles south of the Isle of Wight. No British loss matches the claim.[2] On 24 July 1940, Töniges, aboard "S-19", sortied with "S-1" and "S-27" into the English Channel. The mission made headlines over the world. They intercepted and sank a French steamer, SS Meknes, and sank the ship, killing 416 men, which was carrying repatriated French soldiers to Vichy France. The survivors were rescued by the British. The British said it was flying French national colours, a charge the Germans denied. The British condemned the attack in the House of Commons as an example of Nazi callousness.[3] On 25 July 1940 Töniges left port aboard "S-19" on another patrol. The group claimed three ships sunk—"S-19" torpedoed SS London Trader (646t). The German crew reported it as a 10,000t steamer and all of the ships were reported to have been much larger and heavier than they were.[4]

On 19 February 1941, Töniges sortied with "S-28" and "S-101". He spotted a freighter in the Thames Estuary, and claimed it sunk. British losses show the vessel to be Algarve (1,335t).[5] All 21 crewman were lost. "S-102" fired on a second ship that could be seen through the fog via the fog-lamps. An explosion was heard and Töniges claimed it sank; no further British loss was recorded.[6] 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.[7] On 18 March 1941 the group engaged convoy FN34. The French steamer SS Daphne II (1,970t) was badly damaged by Töniges. It was placed under tow but broke apart in the Humber days later.[8]

Töniges was relocated to the Eastern Front and operated in the Black Sea. On 27 June 1942, Töniges sank the passenger ship SS Belostok (2,034t) which was evacuating wounded soldiers from Sevastopol.[9] On 7 August 1942 Töniges sank the Sevastopol (1,339t).[10] On 31 August he claimed a 3,000-ton freighter. On 3 September he claimed a 2,000-ton ship and two 1,200-ton light freighters. The claims are hard to substantiate, but by the 5 September 1942 the German vessels claimed to have sunk 20 Soviet ships evacuating Red Army forces on the Taman Peninsula.[11]

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 Naval Academy Mürwik (Marineschule Mürwik) in 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.