In the historical treaty environment, the Deutschland class appeared to combine cruiser displacement with unusually heavy guns. The alternate system already contains large fleets of purpose-built station cruisers carrying six to twelve 9.2-inch or 10-inch weapons. Against those ships, a Deutschland's six 11-inch guns no longer create a unique tactical category, while numerous 6-inch cruisers also crowd the lower end of the force structure. The German ships would probably be judged as unexceptional heavy cruisers rather than celebrated pocket battleships.
Notable Point · 2:39:42-2:40:47
The Deutschland class loses its niche
Six 11-inch guns no longer make the Deutschlands exceptional when rival navies field numerous faster 9.2- and 10-inch cruisers.