an Imperial German Navy's L 2 airship's test flight resulted in the death of all 28 passengers and crew on board Date unknown - Bergius process is invented by German chemist Friedrich Bergius. Date unknown - Chemical element Protactinium is first identified by Oswald Helmuth Göhring and Kasimir Fajans. Date unknown - Die Naturwissenschaften first published by Die Kaiser-Wilhelm-Gesellschaft zur Förderung der Wissenschaften e. V. Births 23 January - Herbert Runge, German boxer (died 1986) 29 January - Peter von Zahn, German journalist, writer (died 2001) 25 February — Gert Fröbe, German actor (died 1988) 26 February – Hermann Lenz, German poet and author (died 1998) 2 March - Falk Harnack, German director and screenwriter (died 1991) 18 March - Reinhard Hardegen, German U-boat commander (died 2018) 21 March - Werner Höfer, German journalist (died 1997) 9 April - Heinrich Wöhlk German optometrist. (died 1991) 10 April - Stefan Heym, German writer (died 2001) 19 April - Karl Rawer, German physicist, specialist in radio wave propagation and the ionosphere (died 2018) 21 April - Kai-Uwe von Hassel, German politician (died 1997) 24 April - Paul Esser, German actor (died 1988) 27 April – Luz Long, German long jump athlete (died 1943) 13 May - Lotte Rausch, German actress (died 1995) 26 May - Josef Manger, German heavy weightlifter (died 1991) 31 May – Peter Frankenfeld, German comedian (died 1979) 2 June - Walter Andreas Schwarz, German singer, song-writer (died 1992) 10 June – Benjamin Shapira, German-born Israeli biochemist (died 1993) 26 June – Rudolf Brazda, German concentration camp prisoner (died 2011) 1 August - Heinz Ellenberg, German biologist (died 1997) 1 August - Hajo Herrmann, German Luftwaffe pilot (died 2010) 4 August – Johann Niemann, SS officer (died 1943) 10 August – Wolfgang Paul, German physicist (died 1993) 26 August - Julius Döpfner, German cardinal of Roman Catholic Church (died 1976) 15 September - Johannes Steinhoff, German general (died 1994) 15 September - Hans Filbinger, German politician (died 2007) 26 September - Berthold Beitz, German industrialist (died 2013) 26 September - Ernst Schnabel, German writer (died 1986) 24 October - Jürgen Oesten, German seaman, U-boat commander during World War II. (died 2010) 8 November – Ludwig Elsbett, German engineer (died 2003) 13 November - Walter Horten, German aircraft pilot (died 1998) 21 November - Volker von Collande, German actor and film director (died 1990) 24 November - Gisela Mauermayer, German