| Dr. Anton Benning | |
| Birth Date: | 15 May 1918 |
| Birth Place: | Hakenberg (near Lichtenau), Westphalia, German Empire |
| Death Place: | Recklinghausen, Germany |
| Nickname: | Toni, Fliegender Zahnarzt ("flying dentist") |
| Serviceyears: | 1938–45 |
| Rank: | Leutnant |
| Unit: | JG 106 JG 301 |
| Battles: | 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]
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".
He died 29 September 2013, aged 95 in Recklinghausen.[2]
. Walther-Peer Fellgiebel . 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 . German . Friedberg, Germany . Podzun-Pallas . 978-3-7909-0284-6.