Captain, 7th Panzer Grenadier Regiment
Born: May 24th 1921
Died: August 27th 1944
Age at Death: 24
Killed in action near Reims, August 27th 1944
Günther is the only known fallen Old Brightonian who fought for the Axis side. Born on 24 May 1921, he lived in Hove and attended the College while his father worked as the UK head of IG Farben, the German chemical firm. He then went on to the University of Geneva.
He was conscripted during the war, and by 1943 was serving with the 10th Panzer Grenadier Regiment. Guhl served in Russia for part of the war.
By August 1944 he was a newly-promoted Captain in the 7th Panzer Grenadier Regiment. He died when his tank was hit, probably by an American fighter plane, at the hamlet of La Ferté-Milon, between Paris and Reims, during the advance of George Patton’s American Third Army towards the German border.
Before his death, Guhl had relieved the boy at the wheel of his tank, seeing that the boy was tired. This decision resulted in Guhl being trapped when the tank was destroyed. The rest of the tank crew were able to escape into adjacent fields.
Guhl’s body was recovered by a Polish forced labourer, who buried him respectfully, somewhere in or near La Ferté-Milon. The identity of the labourer is sadly unknown, as he left the area in 1945, leaving no address.
Günther’s status as a fallen Old Brightonian was discovered by the Head of History, Martin Jones, in 1996. Pondering whether to include Guhl on the official roll of honour of war dead in the College Chapel, the school contacted 32 Old Boys who had served in the war, every one of whom was in favour. Four Old Boys even asked for the address of Günther’s brother Wolfgang in order to meet him. Wolfgang wrote to the Head Master at the time, John Leach, and thanked the school, saying:
The spirit in which you do this really does touch my heart. I suppose it is quite natural for you English – as I know you – not to show any rancour to others, whoever they might be.
The exact location of his burial is currently unknown to the College. Wolfgang confirmed in one of his letters that he was able to locate his brother’s grave, but did not disclose the location.