If Stalin had died at the end of 1944 or at the beginning of 1945

If Stalin had died from natural causes in 1944 December or 1944 January what would happen ? Would Kruschev assume power earlier or Beria intervanes ? Would Red Army attack Eastern Prussia and Poland and communism spread all over Europe as OTL. Or due to internal collapse , vacuum of authority and power struggles would Red Army offensive be delayed or cancelled ? Would Soviet Union want peace ? In that case with extra fighting power which Germans would transfer from Eastern Front Ardennes Offensive might have succeeded or worst Western Allies would be stopped at Rhine.

What do you think ?

It's easy to write Stalin out of history - he had his first stroke in the mid 1930's.

Kruschev was still a relatively minor figure at this point. Any power struggle would be between Beria and Molotov. Molotov has the experience and has been the Premier before. And he could command more respect than Beria.

How would any power strugle affect the Allied or Nazi war effort? I suppose the Allies would be more likely to be hurt, but could the Nazis take advantage of the move... I wonder, would any Soviet leader likely to take power take a Brest-Litovsk type move to rebuild the Soviet Union, and then attack Germany at some later date?

As for East Prussia, it was invaded in October of 1944, so it would not be spared completely even in the worst of all possible (For the USSR) circumstances after Stalin's death.

Imajin said:

How would any power strugle affect the Allied or Nazi war effort? I suppose the Allies would be more likely to be hurt, but could the Nazis take advantage of the move... I wonder, would any Soviet leader likely to take power take a Brest-Litovsk type move to rebuild the Soviet Union, and then attack Germany at some later date?

As for East Prussia, it was invaded in October of 1944, so it would not be spared completely even in the worst of all possible (For the USSR) circumstances after Stalin's death.

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Why? They are winning.