Anton Benning
Dr. Anton Benning | |
|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | Toni, Fliegender Zahnarzt ("flying dentist") |
| Born | 15 May 1918 Hakenberg (near Lichtenau), Westphalia, German Empire |
| Died | 29 September 2013 (aged 95) Recklinghausen, Germany |
| Allegiance |  Nazi Germany |
| Service | Luftwaffe |
| Years of service | 1938–45 |
| Rank | Leutnant |
| Unit | JG 106 JG 301 |
| Battles / wars | World War II |
| Awards | Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross |
Anton Hermann Benning (15 May 1918 – 29 September 2013) was a German Luftwaffe ace and recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross during World War II.[1]
Career
[edit]Benning joined the Luftwaffe in 1938 and was initially posted as a flying instructor. As a transport pilot flying the Junkers Ju 52, he took part in supplying the Stalingrad pocket in early 1943, before retraining as a single engined fighter pilot with Jagdgeschwader 106 (JG 106). In June 1943 Oberfeldwebel Benning was transferred to 2./Jagdgeschwader 301 (JG 301) to operate as a "Wilde Sau" night fighter. He was transferred to 2./Jagdgeschwader 302 (JG 302) as a Leutnant, before becoming Staffelkapitän of 10./JG 301 in late 1944.
He received the Ritterkreuz on 13 April 1945.
Benning was credited with 28 victories (inc. 18 four engined bombers, of which 3 were RAF Lancasters), all on the Western Front.
He studied dentistry in Hamburg, Germany, and started a dental office in Marl, Germany. He was well known as the „flying dentist“ in his area. Both of his sons became pilots as well.
After his death in 2013 a place at the Marl-Loemühle airfield was named after him where he was a founding member. The "Toni Benning Square".
Death
[edit]He died 29 September 2013, aged 95 in Recklinghausen.[2]
Awards
[edit]- Flugzeugführerabzeichen
- Iron Cross (1939)
- 2nd Class (1 September 1940)
- 1st Class (31 January 1942)
- German Cross in Gold on 1 January 1945 as Oberfeldwebel in the 2./Jagdgeschwader 302.[3]
- Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 13 April 1945 as Leutnant and Staffelkapitän of the 1./Jagdgeschwader 301[4]
References
[edit]Citations
[edit]- ^ Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross 1939-45 - Anton Benning (German language) Archived January 5, 2011, at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 5 October 2013
- ^ Notice of Death Anton Benning. Retrieved 5 October 2013
- ^ Patzwall & Scherzer 2001, p. 35.
- ^ Fellgiebel 2000, p. 110.
Bibliography
[edit]- Fellgiebel, Walther-Peer (2000) [1986]. Die Träger des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939–1945 — Die Inhaber der höchsten Auszeichnung des Zweiten Weltkrieges aller Wehrmachtteile [The Bearers of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross 1939–1945 — The Owners of the Highest Award of the Second World War of all Wehrmacht Branches] (in German). Friedberg, Germany: Podzun-Pallas. ISBN 978-3-7909-0284-6.
- Obermaier, Ernst (1989). Die Ritterkreuzträger der Luftwaffe Jagdflieger 1939 – 1945 [The Knight's Cross Bearers of the Luftwaffe Fighter Force 1939 – 1945] (in German). Mainz, Germany: Verlag Dieter Hoffmann. ISBN 978-3-87341-065-7.
- Patzwall, Klaus D.; Scherzer, Veit (2001). Das Deutsche Kreuz 1941 – 1945 Geschichte und Inhaber Band II [The German Cross 1941 – 1945 History and Recipients Volume 2] (in German). Norderstedt, Germany: Verlag Klaus D. Patzwall. ISBN 978-3-931533-45-8.
- Scherzer, Veit (2007). Die Ritterkreuzträger 1939–1945 Die Inhaber des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939 von Heer, Luftwaffe, Kriegsmarine, Waffen-SS, Volkssturm sowie mit Deutschland verbündeter Streitkräfte nach den Unterlagen des Bundesarchives [The Knight's Cross Bearers 1939–1945 The Holders of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross 1939 by Army, Air Force, Navy, Waffen-SS, Volkssturm and Allied Forces with Germany According to the Documents of the Federal Archives] (in German). Jena, Germany: Scherzers Militaer-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-938845-17-2.
- Spick, Mike (1996). Luftwaffe Fighter Aces. New York: Ivy Books. ISBN 978-0-8041-1696-1.
