It's a bit crude but WI, sometime in the Spring or early Summer of 1916, General Erich Ludendorff falls downstairs and breaks his [expletive deleted] neck?
Presumably Hindenburg carries on. He's too much of a national icon to be dropped. But any thoughts on his new sidekick/organ grinder? Could Hoffmann get it? Seeckt? Groener even? Or are there other possibles I haven't thought of?
In this situation, does Hindenburg still take over later in the year, or does Falkenhayn get a reprieve? And if it is still Hindenburg, what might change in 1917/18?