OTL Hitler and Mussolini visited the Eastern front in August 1941 near Uman. They travelled in Hitlers personal plane. Lets say the plane crashes and everyone on board dies. What happens next???????
Questions
a) I am guessing Goering takes over Germany?
b) I am guessing Ciano Italy?
c) Would Goering be smart enough to avoid war with U.S?
d) Would Goering seek a compromise peace with USSR?
e) Would Italy seek a separate peace in 1941?
a) Quite possibly. Goebbels is just the propaganda minister and a good one, but he's also a sycophant to Hitler with no real political clout in the Nazi party. Bormann and Ribbentrop are not liked by anyone. Himmler and Heydrich arefeared and hated, but the SS is not strong enough for a coup. This leaves Goering and a military junta as the only options.
b) Possibly. I don't know enough to make statements here.
c) Yes, he was not the insane ideologically motivated narcissistic psycho Hitler was although he was corrupt among other things. He'd leave a lot of military decision making with his generals and focus on his realistic goals which were dominance in central and south eastern Europe. This doesn't mean the US won't declare war on the Germans, but such a war would be a lot less popular than OTL's war in Europe considering since this Germany is much "nicer" and more "moderate".
d) In August 1941? No. Perhaps in 1942 he will offer Stalin a Brest-Litovsk v.2.0 peace which will sew the seeds for a future war when Stalin thinks he's ready to exact his vengeance.
e). No, the Africa Corps had kicked British ass so far so why would they? And once the USSR is out in '42, Germany can focus on a Mediterranean strategy. The extra planes and men could be used to take Malta which should make resupply easier.