BasilY, the problem with #6 is that the war between Germany and the USSR was practically genocidal. The Germans wanted to extinguish the sub-human vermin while the Soviets responded with a bloodthirst and ruthlessness to match. Both were led by Cult figures who could only be removed by a thorough, bloody coup. After such a coup, Germany would certainly have sued for peace. The USSR on the other hand, especially after 1943/Kursk, had nothing to fear about war and lots to gain from it. They had no incentive, Stalin or not, to stop pushing the Germans out of their country by force and then claiming the extra territory as their victory prize.
Again, the real struggle in WW2 was Germany vs Russia. In terms of number of troops, number of casualties, brutality, duration, land mass, and finally sheer importance. It was what Hitler ultimately wanted (and possibly Stalin too, just at a later time) and it was what ultimately decided WW2. The Pacific was an important side-show, but Japan never had a hope if the rest of the world didn't like its empire (other than Germany, no one did). Its island logistical base was just too weak. And as I've mentioned, other than a possible German rapid victory in 1941 that captured much of the Soviet manufacturing, it was endgame the moment they set foot in Russia. Too much land to conquer (by far), too inflexible a policy (vs. accepting the help of 1,000,000 anti-Stalin Russian soldiers), too many Russians vs. Germans, too much Russian vs. German production, and the T-34. It was a fait acomplit.
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