Operation Last Reich?

This one is a two parter. The situation I've come up with is shrouded in mystery, making it difficult to figure out exactly what took place. Some Alternate Histories simply state fact changes in history that would have been very difficult to actually know with any certainty had they actually occurred. For this situation, I have a set of very definite facts that I've imagined changed, and from that I've written a few 'clues' that would represent the available information, to the public, around 1944.

To start off, what actually happened and does it matter? What changes to the outcome of World War 2 may have taken place? And, finally, what might the world look like today as a result?


***

(front page newspaper excerpts)

October 23nd , 1943
'Hitler Is Dead'
American bombers, in a brave and fearless attack on the heart of the Third Reich, have laid ruins to Leipzig, killing the Nazi leader, Adolf Hitler, along with several other high ranking Nazi officials. The daring raid, conducted under the cover of night, represents the culmination of an allied intelligence operation designed to destroy Germany's high commanders while limiting civilian casualties. German resistance has all but come to a halt as the country reels in this decisive attack on its top leaders. American and British officials have predicted Germany's concession within days.


October 25th, 1943
'Germany Surrenders'
Germany's remaining military command has issued an unconditional surrender to 'all aggressors' following the October 22nd killing of Adolf Hitler and much of his high command by an allied operation.


October 30th, 1943
'Mysterious Illness Plagues Allied Troops in Germany'
Reports of a mysterious illness cropping up among Allied soldiers in Germany have continued to surface, despite denials by military leaders. Soldiers complaining of severe nausea, vomiting and in some cases hair loss suggest what one doctor referred to as "radiation sickness". Hardest hit are those stationed in Leipzig, the site of Hitler's demise.

November 18th, 1943
'Hitler's Last Grasp Leaves Thousands Dead'
An outbreak of dysentery has left over three thousand Allied troops dead along with countless German civilians in Leipzig. Allied military leaders have alleged that a viral outbreak may be responsible for the deaths, also suggesting that Leipzig may have been the sight of a Nazi viral research center.

(excerpt from an interview with one of the pilots of 'Operation Last Reich')
(conducted between 1944 and 1945, retracted shortly afterward)

Interviewer: How old were you at the time?
Pilot: 26, I had just celebrated my birthday when the order came.
I: How long had you known about the operation and the fact that it involved attempt on Adolf Hitler's life?
P: Ha! Zero days. The city was on fire when we got there. It was easiest metal I've ever gotten.
I: You arrived late?
P: No, we were at the head of the first formation.

***

If there is interest in this, I'll write a few more 'clues' as the the exact circumstances of the situation. Suggestions for the format of these clues is welcome, however the further from the event they are set, the more I'll have to make up an AH which may diverge from what others come up with.
 
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Sounds vaguely like a version of Hitler's "scorched-earth" policy which almost destroyed the remains of the German economy before a high-ranking Nazi (Speer?) stopped it. Oh boy...
 
My first thought is that radiation sickness wasn't well understood IOTL 1943, even by some of the scientists on the Manhattan project. This would seem to indicate that either someone figured out the clues earlier, or that nuclear research as a whole is ahead of OTL.
 
My first thought is that radiation sickness wasn't well understood IOTL 1943, even by some of the scientists on the Manhattan project. This would seem to indicate that either someone figured out the clues earlier, or that nuclear research as a whole is ahead of OTL.

You're on the right track there. You may be right about the lack of understanding, however I think there was some indication of understanding at the time, however incomplete.
 
You're on the right track there. You may be right about the lack of understanding, however I think there was some indication of understanding at the time, however incomplete.

Oh the clues were there, and some people had figured them out. But it was specialized and not widely disseminated information, not something I'd expect to see casually referred to in a 1943 publication IOTL.
 
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