Born in München 6 March 1915,
GUGGENBERGER was in the Academy Class of 1934, commanded two U-Boats
and sank the Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS ARK ROYAL in
the western Mediterranean. In the same attack, he damaged the
battleship HMS MALAYA so badly that she was in the yards
for about a full year. "GERRY"
RICHTER (214-1986) was his radioman who sent back the report of
the successful attack. "HANNO"
KRIEG (199-1986) was I.W.O. aboard U-81 at the
time and later took command of the boat when GUGGENBERGER took
command of his new boat, U-513.
He was decorated with the Knights Cross on 10 December 1941
He was decorated with the Oak Leaf on 8 January 1943
The photo directly below is GUGGENBERGER receiving his Oak Leaf
from Hitler. On the left is:
KARL-FRIEDERICH MERTEN (23-1984), next is
Wolfgang Lüth, 3rd is GUGGENBERGER then Walter Tonniges, an
S-Boat Skipper.
U-81Most of his successes came while
he was in command of U-81 but GUGGENBERGER was
later posted to command U-513. He was taken prisoner
when that boat was sunk off the coast of Brazil.
In later life, he sadly succumbed to Alzheimer's and was in a home for
the elderly and one day, perhaps he had a moment of reality in which he
saw what his life had become or perhaps he just forgot how to get back
to the home - either way, he walked out of the facility and disappeared.
It was about two years later that his remains were found in the forest.