October 1944: Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin dies in his sleep; it is later confirmed he had slipped into cardiac arrest and died suddenly. Unlike his wartime allies (UK and US) there is no real clear successor to the longtime dictator and the Politburo is divided on who to select as the next leader. Andrei Zhdanov, Vyacheslav Molotov, and Lavrentiy Beria emerged as the main contenders, and agreed to cooperate with each other throughout the war with the Germans. Hitler is elated at the news of his enemies’ death, believing history is repeating itself, and that the tensions amongst Stalin’s successors will cause the Russians to sue for peace, and allow for Germany to concentrate its entire might against the United States, the British Empire, and France. The war progresses similar to OTL.