There are a number of Interesting "What If" Threads speculating on the War being won by Germany. However, who would of led Germany in the post War Europe? How long would Hitler have lasted as leader.

Over the years we have seen strong evidence of his Parkinsons, Drug Addiction and Epilepsy. I also read he may have been subjected to Quinine poisioning. Which was a side effect of the "Vitamin" shots he received from Morrel.

Would he have been around much longer after 46'???

One person. Himmler.

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For the first time I have seen "History" at close quarters,and I know that its actual process is very different from what is presented to Posterity. - WWI General Max Hoffman.

I'm the "Confederate with a pipe"!! LOL

My wild guess would be Bormann....

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I also would go with Himmler. Bormann's power laid behind Hitler. With Hitler gone, Bormann had nobody to back him up. Himmler had the party's instrument of terror to support him or even whomever Himmler support in case he did not want the job. The only other competitor would have been Goring and his Luftwaffe but I believe even then, some of his Luftwaffe staff were disgruntled with the Iron Man.

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American by birth, TEXAN by the grace of GOD!

I think Speer. First, The Generals hated Himmler. They knew he was a "paper" commander. The only ammo he had was the SS and w/out the support of the Prussian Guard or the Army, Himmler lost face. The SS were not so much Loyal to Himmler as they were to Hitler.

Hitler did not like Goering' He thought of him as a Fat, slovenly playboy. For all Intents and purposes the Luftwaffe failed him.

The only guy that Hitler actually considered a freind was Speer. They both liked the same things art,music architecture. They both had the Grand, Romanesque vision of Germany. Plus, being around Hitler as much as he was Speer knew as much dirt about the others as Himmler or the Gestapo.

The question I have is did Hitler die naming his successor? If so, then I would think that Hitler would name his most loyal follower, Himmler who did have the apparatus to fend off the Generals. The Generals did not like a lot of what the party was doing and Hitler as well but they followed him nonetheless because of their oath. No way they would have gone against his wishes if they were made known. As for Himmler dependent on the army, don't think so. I think it is the other way around. The German people were tired of the war but were stll fervent followers. The Army did not want to repeat a November 11, 1918 and the people would difinitely blame the army as they blamed Hitler after the surrender and the Army did not want that.

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American by birth, TEXAN by the grace of GOD!

While Himmler seems to be a logical choice it would almost lead to civil war, while those in the Werhmacht had loyalties to Hitler they had no such loyalties towards Himmler, in fact even Goering had no such loyalties, there are two distinct possibilties one from the Heer or a Civilian.

I have to add that Albert Speer has been mentioned, the one main fault i can see with Speer and that because he was so close to Hitler in as far as personality and idiology, i just wonder would that work, but at this point Speer is the only real leader that could step in at short notice.

and Himmler already has those god awful looks!

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Time is only enemy you'll never get rid of.

We know that politically, historically, Goering was next In line. As was attempted by Goering, when Berlin was about to fall, he had appointed himself leader, via telegraph to the Bunker. He assumed Hitler was either incapacitated,dead or not able to govern.
However, this line of succession, which Goering was going by, was determined when the Luftwaffe and the Third Reich was at the height of its power.

At that time the Nazi State was a "cult of personality" revolving around Hitler. All the official political lines were so blurred by the Nazi State that there was no 2nd in command. I'm sure by 44-45' Himmler, Goering, Bormann, Keitel, Jodl, Speer all saw themselves in line and all would of attempted to wrestle that title away from the other If Hitler died.

Was there an actual "right of succession" as there is in The U.K or U.S?

There is one thing i think and that had Germany won the war then Hitler would have made sure there would be a successor, Goering would be it imho, the reason if Germany won then the Luftwaffe would have carried the day under Goerings rule, meaning he ended up as an effective leader and did the job no matter how flippant he was. Hitlers faith in Goering would have remained strong.

Donitz?

Well he was.. for a few days or so?

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Time is only enemy you'll never get rid of.

Yes in the real world, but Germany was defeated, this is if Germany had won.

My first guesses would be Speer or Himmler, for the reasons stated.

The wierd thing is that Goering was also a drug addict; he was a morphine addict and had terrible health. He probably would have lived shorter than Hitler if he went into power.

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"Live as brave men; and if fortune is adverse, front its blows with brave hearts." - Cicero

Adolf Hitler selected Doenitz to become head of state after his suicide on 30th April, 1945. After forming a new government he negotiated Germany's surrender on 8th May.

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For the first time I have seen "History" at close quarters,and I know that its actual process is very different from what is presented to Posterity. - WWI General Max Hoffman.

I'm the "Confederate with a pipe"!! LOL

If we consider the power battle , say in late April 1945, I think nobody had really decent amount of troops to stand behind him, even Waffen-SS was quite spread around the last borders of the Reich. So the interesting point is how to get the power and with what elements? Getting the generals to back you? Getting the men in the Bunker area to support you? And Göring was far away as well as Himmler from Berlin, if we consider you needed to be in Berlin to take power.

If we consider that the Allied would choose the leader, then it would probably be Speer. The nazis were about to be eliminated and that would lead to the deaths of Himmler, Göring, Bormann etc. Speer was " just an architect doing the job Hitler ordered him to". Interestingly enough, as I read a book on Speer by Joachim Fest, when the German government was "under arrest" after the war several Allied officers incl generals would take Speer with them to visit Paris etc on their tours. Must have been a bit of a dream-like situation for Speer.

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Only because Goring and Himmler abandoned Hitler during the Gotterdamerung.

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American by birth, TEXAN by the grace of GOD!

How did Donitz die? Did he die after the war or did he commit suicide?

I know that Bormann committed suicide with Dr. Ludwig Stumpelfegger, Himmler killed himself when he was revealed by British troops, and Goering took cyanide after the Nuremburg trials when he was sentenced to death; he killed himelf in his cell before the execution was carried out. Speer died in london in 1981.

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"Live as brave men; and if fortune is adverse, front its blows with brave hearts." - Cicero

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For the first time I have seen "History" at close quarters,and I know that its actual process is very different from what is presented to Posterity. - WWI General Max Hoffman.

I'm the "Confederate with a pipe"!! LOL

The last few posters are more or less following what really happened, the question who would become Fuhrer after Fuhrer Adolf Hitler had died within the confines of a victorious Germany in WWII.

Himmler would be ruled out, simply put the Werhmacht would no accept a complete take over of the German state by the SS, while this may have occured under Hitlers reign because of loyalties towards the Fuhrer, Himmler had no such basis, yes Himmler had a cadre of support but he was not supported by the Heer, Luftwaffe or Kriegsmarine, Himmler did not enjoy a loyal following within Hitler's own staff. Doenitz was a Fuhrer of convenience.
No the only way i can see what would happen is that a military take over of the German State by the Army, they would install one of their own.

among the 'inner circle', only goebbels had any brains and only goering had seen combat. none of these were fit to succeed him. this inner circle would have disintegrated on hitler's death. my bet would be one of his ministers, or marshals, one who would be popular and respectable.

If Germany had been victorious, and Hitler dead, the need would be for an administrator who was capable of overseeing the military. Hitler envisioned a thousand year Reich, which since he envisioned something based similar to the Roman Empire, it would then need to be overseen by administrators. In some ways, that was the flaw of the German occupationary forces in that time was spent terrorizing and alienating rather than administrating with efficiency. No one keeps territories that are held by force and terror.

I don't have enough knowledge of each of the high ranking Germans. With Germany victorious, would Rudolph Hess have been available as the Allies would no longer have had cause to imprison him?

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Regards, Michelle

Oliver Goldsmith, "I love everything that's old: old friends, old times, old manners, old books, old wines."

The army and navy have always made statements that they would not get involved in politics and always fell back onto their oath. So, if they swore loyalty to Hitler and whomever Hitler leaves in charge, they would end up following.

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American by birth, TEXAN by the grace of GOD!