Board Thread:Timeline Discussions/@comment-7559950-20130911012534/@comment-3428312-20140628184942

Fabian von Schlabrendorff successfully assassinates Hitler on March 17, 1943. The Anti-Hitler conspirators launch their coup, and are able to bag the lot of the high ranking Nazis (Himmler, Goering, Bormann, etc...). After their initial peace offers are spurned by the Allies, the new German government is forced to continue the War.

No further reinforcements are sent to North Africa, and Rommel's forces begin to be evacuated instead (Rommel historically asked Hitler to due this). The Third Battle of Kharkov was coming to an end around the time Hitler is killed in this ATL, and thus the stage is still set for Kursk. However, with more forces on hand since North Africa was not reinforced as well as no Hitler to repeatedly delay the start of the offensive (And thus no great Soviet defenses in the salient), the Battle of Kursk is a major German victory. Roughly 1/5 of the Red is entrapped and then gradually destroyed by late June/early July. With their lines shortened and the Soviets greatly thinned, the Germans are able to construct a strategic reserve on the Eastern front. After a rest period in July, the Germans launch an offensice towards Leningrad in August, which falls in October. With these defeats, Stalin seeks an armistice in the winter of 1943 (He historically considered doing this earlier in the year). The border between the powers comes to rest on the current front, and prisoner exchanges occur.

On the Western Front over 1943, things go very different. The North Africa campaign ends early, but the vast majority of the Afika Corps was successful in evacuating. Sicily and Italy being more heavily fortifed than OTL and Soviet demands for a second front to relieve pressure on them after the Alt-Battle of Kursk leads the Western Allies to attempt Operation Roundup in late July/early August. Unfortunately for them, the Germans are able to transfer sufficent Wehrmact forces to counter the invasion, and repulse it. The failure of Roundup is costly in terms of losses to the Western Allies, and along with the fall of Leningrad convinces the Soviets to make peace. With the Soviets having made peace combined with the failure to gain a foothold in Europe, the Western Allies elect to seek an armstice as well in order to focus on Japan.

World War II in Europe is over, with Germany victorious.