In theory, Hermann Göring was the nominal successor and #2 to Hitler. Göring had amassed a number of titles such as Minister-President of Prussia and President of the Reichstag. He also had his hands in a number of power blocs within the German state. not only was he a commander of a branch of the armed forces (something no other NSDAP rival could claim), he also had significant connections within the economy via the Four Year Plans, the administration of Prussia's interior ministry, and a fairly large patronage network. Hitler may have designated Göring as his semi-official successor in 1939, but the Reichsmarschall had a considerable power bloc already.

But Göring's ascent in a hypothetical case where Hitler fell in the shower in 31 August 1939 was not foreordained. The important thing to realize about the Third Reich was that its administration was a ramshackle mess of improvisation that created chaos instead of order. Take Hitler's title of Führer. The position amalgamated both the responsibilities of the old Republic's Chancellor and President without any of the Republic's checks on executive power. But Hitler never gave any real thought given to the actual structure of Führer as a political position. There were no plans as to how to nominate a successor as Führer in case of Hitler's death or retirement. Hitler actually split the position up before his suicide giving Goebbels the position of chancellor and Dönitz as president. The creation and execution of the Führer title was less about creating a sustainable political executive that could be passed on but rather as a tool to amass power. There was little in the way of organizational ideology other than power for its own sake.

This was all too typical of many modern dictatorships and the issue of succession is one determined by circumstances rather than an individuals' position on an org chart. As a general rule, dictatorships tend to avoid the issue of succession because it explicitly envisions a world without the dictator. Hitler was no exception here and he was very careful not to erect any institutions that could depose him. Göring may have been a front-runner for leadership, but it would have been an open race in this scenario.