On board the German pocket battleship "Admiral Graf Spee" he participated in the Spanish Civil War.

[1] On 5 July Töniges commanded "S-19" on a patrol in the Portland and Isle of Wight area.

The British said it was flying French national colours, a charge the Germans denied.

The French steamer SS Daphne II (1,970t) was badly damaged by Töniges.

On 27 June 1942, Töniges sank the passenger ship SS Belostok (2,034t) which was evacuating wounded soldiers from Sevastopol.

[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.

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.