The first relevant 1928 proposal was a battlecruiser with eight 12-inch guns in four turrets, based on an unfinished First World War German battlecruiser design. When Hitler came to power in 1933, he initially told the navy that Germany would not build a fleet to challenge British supremacy at sea. He instead emphasized war with France and protection of German sea lanes. The next capital ship consequently began as a roughly 19,000-ton armored ship with Deutschland armament and speed but greater protection. This sequence makes the completed Scharnhorst less a clean-sheet battlecruiser than a heavily protected enlargement of an existing German raider concept.
Chapter · 39:30-42:17
From battlecruiser sketch to improved Deutschland
A 1928 battlecruiser sketch gave way to a roughly 19,000-ton armored ship that retained Deutschland armament and speed while adding protection.