Born in Potsdam, von Bonin volunteered for service with the Condor Legion during the Spanish Civil War where he commanded the 3.

[2] On 15 March 1937, I. Gruppe (1st group) of Jagdgeschwader 334 (JG 334—334th Fighter Wing) was created at Wiesbaden-Erbenheim Airfield and headed by Hauptmann Hubert Merhart von Bernegg.

[5] Von Bonin replaced Hauptmann Mölders, his former classmate at the Military School Dresden, as Staffelkapitän (Squadron Leader) of the 3.

[6][7][8] During the course of the Spanish Civil War, he claimed four Republican fighter aircraft shot down, including a Curtiss P-36 Hawk on 6 March which was J/88's 314th and last aerial victory.

On 25 August, a week before the outbreak of World War II, the Gruppe was ordered to Bönninghardt, an airfield southwest of Wesel, close to Germany's western border.

[13] World War II in Europe began on Friday 1 September 1939 when German forces invaded Poland.

Based in Bönninghardt, the Gruppe initially flew fighter protection during the "Phoney War" along the Belgian and Dutch border without claiming any aerial victories.

[14] On 1 January 1940, von Bonin was transferred and appointed Gruppenkommandeur (Group Commander) of the I. Gruppe of Jagdgeschwader 54 (JG 54—54th Fighter Wing).

At the time, I. Gruppe was based at Eutingen im Gäu near Horb am Neckar patrolling the German front along the Upper Rhine and Alsace.

[16] According to Mathews and Foreman, von Bonin claimed his first aerial victory of World War II the following day, which was not confirmed.

[17] Two days later, von Bonin shot down two Armée de l'Air (French Air Force) Bloch MB.150 fighters near Pontoise.

On 26 July, the unit was ordered closer to the English Channel and was then based at an airfield near Campagne-lès-Guines to participate in Battle of Britain.

[21] He claimed a further Spitfire and a Hawker Hurricane fighter east of Southend-on-Sea on 5 September while escorting Luftwaffe bombers attacking RAF ground targets.

[19] Von Bonin was credited with his last aerial victory over the RAF on 11 September when he claimed a Spitfire shot down 20 kilometers (12 miles) north of Dungeness.

[22] On 29 April 1941, von Bonin had a taxiing accident in his Bf 109 (Werknummer 2055—factory number) while based at Wesermünde, present-day part of Bremerhaven.

In the fortnight prior, JG 54 had been moved to an airfield in Lindenthal near Rautenberg, East Prussia, present-day Uslowoje in Kaliningrad Oblast.

Tasked with supporting Army Group North in its advance through the Baltic states towards Leningrad, the unit began combat operations shortly afterwards.

[24] On 30 June, von Bonin was transferred to take command of Jagdfliegerschule 4, the fighter pilot school in Fürth.

In mid-August, von Bonin was ordered to detach a small Kommando (commando) under the command of Oberleutnant Hermann Graf.

[36] On 23 August, von Bonin claimed a Polikarpov I-16 fighter and a Douglas A-20 Havoc, also known as a Boston, taking his total to 19 aerial victories.

[10] On 1 November, von Bonin became an "ace-in-a-day" claiming a La-5, a MiG-3, and two LaGG-3 fighters plus an Il-2 ground attack aircraft, taking his total to 46 aerial victories.

At the time, the Geschwaderstab (headquarters unit) of JG 54 was based at Siversky and subordinated to Luftflotte 1 (Air Fleet 1), supporting Army Group North.

In support of this offensive, JG 54 moved to Oryol on 9 July, fighting on the northern pincer of Generaloberst Walter Model's 9th Army.

[50] On 15 December, von Bonin claimed two Il-2 ground attack aircraft shot down northeast of Gorodok (now Haradok, Belarus).

[52][53][54] Command of JG 54 initially remained vacant until Oberstleutnant Anton Mader was appointed Geschwaderkommodore on 28 January 1944.