The ships had the range for commerce raiding but lacked the speed to escape every British capital ship they might encounter. Their two widely separated triple 11-inch turrets forced an inefficient distribution of magazines, machinery, insulation, and hull volume. They were unconvincing as raiders, convoy escorts, or flagships and instead resembled enlarged heavy cruisers built around the guns Germany could still manufacture. Their deeper value was industrial and institutional: they kept German shipyards, designers, engineers, and naval skills active under post-Versailles restrictions.
Chapter · 1:14:22-1:21:29
Deutschland class: keeping naval skills alive
The Deutschland class is examined less as an ideal raider than as a way to preserve German naval capability after Versailles.