Kurt Diebner

Kurt Diebner (1905-1964) was a nuclear physicist in Germany in the early twentieth century. During World War II, Diebner headed one of two competing German teams to build an atomic bomb; the other was headed by Werner Heisenberg. Diebner, unlike Heisenberg, had not completed his Habilitation and was looked down on by his rival. However, he was more personable, more modest, and more familiar with the dangers and perils of warfare. When Heisenberg was killed in 1943 after a failed attempt to build an atomic pile, Diebner became the sole head of Germany's atomic efforts, and ultimately succeeded in building a weapon, which was used against the Race's Conquest Fleet.